. 



v^ 



Cibvant flf G^ng****. 



=&/,<// ;JB.3 

^^«^Ae ^=/f%. 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



-«?<L 



//*. 



r ,f yfc. <iAt . -, 







THE 

CHRISTIAN FATHER 

AT HOME. 




<- : MUJ/7sr#- r J^l^/h^y^A-Z^^^^ 



THE 



CHRISTIAN FATHER 



AT HOME: 



A MANUAL OF PARENTAL INSTRUCTION : 



IN TWO PARTS; 



I. On the Necessity of Salvation. 
n. On the Way of Salvation. 



BY W. C. BROWNLEE, D. 1)., 

OF THE COLLEGIATE PROTESTANT REFORMED DUTCH CHURCH, 
NEW-YORK. 



" God is a consuming fire." 

" God is love." Bible. 




ROBERT CARTER, 112 CANAL STREET. 

1837. 






Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1837, by 
Robert Carter, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the 
United States, for the Southern District of New-York. 



3$ & 



New-York 
Printed by Scatcherd & Adams, 
No. 38 Gold-Street. 



TO 
JAMES JEFFRAY, ESQ,, M. D., 

WHO HAS EEEN, FOR NEARLY FIFTY YEARS, AN ELOQUENT 
AND VERY DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR, IN THE 

University of Glasgow ; 
THIS VOLUME IS DEDICATED, 

WITH GREAT VENERATION AND AFFECTION, 

vl . 

By his obedient servant, 

And very affectionate nephew, 

W. C. BRO WNLEE, 



2* 



PREFACE. 



I may be allowed to say to my reader, that 
I have here written down, what I have, as a 
parent, long felt the want of. in my own do- 
mestic instructions. And I am, perhaps, not 
the only one who has felt the want of some- 
thing of this kind, in training up his children, 
in these times, in which God has cast our lot. 

In the " LIGHTS AXD SHADOWS OF CHRISTIAN 

life," in number fifth of the narratives, entitled, 
" The Elder's Sox, or the Spoiled Child," 
I have attempted to exhibit what may be termed 
the more practical duties of parents to children. 
In this little volume, the reader will find a doc- 
trinal discussion, adapted, I trust, to regulate 
parental instruction, on the two grand doctri* 



Vlll PREFACE, 

nal divisions, of the gospel of Christ; namely, 

THE NEED OF A SAVIOUR ; and THE WAY OF 
SALVATION. 

I am more and more convinced, from daily 
experience, that deep, close, and thorough doc- 
trinal instruction is the only true and substan- 
tial foundation of all Christian training, and 
discipline in a family. The purest and most 
remarkable reformation times in the Church, 
and families of God, have been uniformly re- 
markable for bold, thorough-going exhibitions 
of gospel doctrines. This, I believe, will be 
acceded to, by all the different denominations 
of the Christian Church. 

The parent who attempts to instruct, with- 
out thoroughly imbuing the youthful mind 
with Bible doctrine, in detail, is building a 
house without a foundation. He attempts to 
rear fruit on a tree, without roots and a trunk. 
It cannot be done. 

It becomes not a Protestant to object that the 
gospel doctrines are too mysterious, and ob- 



PREFACE, IX 

scure for children. Parental experience, and 
the extraordinary success of Sabbath and In- 
fant school instruction, has settled this point 
satisfactorily. The young mind can appre- 
hend the various doctrines, even the deepest of 
them, much sooner, and also much easier, than 
many have been willing to believe. They are 
very obscure to the mind of the man, whose 
strong prejudices will not allow the light of their 
demonstration to pass the threshold of his cor- 
rupt heart. 

The truth is this : the grand doctrines of the 
Bible are wonderfully calculated to arrest the 
attention, and captivate the minds of youth. 
The fall of man ; its melancholy results ; the 
condition of an apostate world ; our redemption 
by no less a personage than the son of God, 
coming down from heaven, by the act of " tak- 
ing on him the form a servant ;" by his ming- 
ling in his humiliation, with his own subjects ; 
by his working stupendous miracles ; by his 
dying on the cross ; by his rising from the 



X PSZFACZ. 

dead ; by is usee n ling into heaven, to present 

:;-.t -;-.:::::.. :n :..s ::v;r_e ::::-: i^s.i h-efzre :he 

F^::r:: — :.^t are ?...'. -.: es: ; lis :.iz. c - ~'.-.r- 

veJ - I may Bay s bo divinely romantic, and 

:.::, : h a I ha man adventures, or 

ear:hly acLiever-ier.Ts :.-.::. be raize s: : 
esting to youth. This truth, I am inclined to 

zeliere. 

tie :: ;-T :: .- ms:: .;::.: as. If i: ..- l:: 

:tt: s: iei :: : 

:;avf arisen :': : /.'. :-. '."in: ::" 3. - ::: ■ 

tion of these lofty, and livinc : 

ycnng mini. 

The bare narrative of these wonderful and 
miraculous events, and the divine, and most 
an:r::.a:i::^ ::u::;.s :n:e:~":ven ••:::: ::e:".. :.: 
r jss-ess s: r: :.. snryissiig 

arrrae lions. :ni: r'ney irresistibly ::;:.' :-.:t :be 
you:b:oi mini. A::: bee freshness, the nnfii- 
ing beaury. an: g'.rry :h: : " n =: : :ni : bi, _ :e. 
yen: rbem :>■: :: v --.;-. .._ - ." =n: rile, hlee :ae 



PREFACE, XI 

real, or fictitious adventures of man. The for- 
mer are divine ; the latter, only human. 

I am aware of the mortifying truth, that the 
doctrines of the cross of christ are, by no 
means, acceptable to men who claim to be 
of refined taste, and mental cultivation. For 
refined taste, and cultivation do not remove the 
fountain of human depravity, and the blinding 
prejudices of the unconverted heart. Men will 
hate that which crosses the path of their 
schemes, and earthy pleasures, and their idol 
devotion. Men of the world, are, of course, 
enemies to pure Christianity in its uncompro- 
mising war with error and impurity. 

But this does not contradict the fact, that 
the grand historical and doctrinal events of 
man's Fall, and man's Redemption, do contain 
the loftiest, and most captivating of all the 
themes in the romance of real life, or of fiction, 
which can be placed before an ingenuous and 
candid young mind. 

And it must not be forgotten, that in the 



XU PREFACE. 

young mind, trained up in God's fear, and 
urged with affection, to yield unsuspecting 
belief to the revealed truth of Christ, there is 
not so much of the resistance of enmity to the 
Cross of Christ, as there is in those who have 
long been habituated to the temptations, and 
crimes, and degrading follies of the world. 

' DO 

I indulge the hope, that I shall not be thought 
sectarian, — in the sense, understood by liberal, 
well-informed, and sound Christians. I shall 
be grieved to rest even under the suspicion of 
being sectarian. I am anxious not to be 
thought so. I shall advocate no doctrine that 
is not manifestly exhibited in the Holy Bible ; 
and very plainly set forth in the Canons, 
Articles, and Confessions of Faith, of the 
different branches of the Reformed churches. 
And, as I should humbly conceive, I cannot be 
convicted of sectarianism, if I shall advocate 
only those constitutional doctrines, adhered to 
by all the sections of the Reformed churches. 
If others, perchance, may have departed from 



PREFACE. Xlll 

the Bible, and the standards of the churches, it 
is no reason why I should be blamed for not 
departing from them, along with innovators. 
Sectarianism cannot be charged on those who 
honestly walk on in the footsteps of all those who 
have gone before us, in " the good old way." I 
am not, then, sectarian, unoccupying, as I do, 
the venerable old land-marks, set up by apos- 
tles, martyrs, and reformers. They are secta- 
rian, I fear, who have left the holy and conse- 
crated path, and have cut out to themselves a 
new pathway, which neither we, nor their 
fathers have trodden. 

Should any one object to my manner, that I 
have brought up the most abstruse doctrines of 
the Gospel before the young mind : and that I 
do not mix up enough of the imaginative, with 
rural description, and narrative : — I beg to say 
in reply, that I design to write for sober-mind- 
ed parents, rather than for mere youth. Hence, 
I did intend to give doctrinal discussions, with 
some narrative, and rural description. I did 
3 



XIV PREFACE. 

not intend to amuse with romantic narrative, 
and rural scenes, with merely occasional 
sprinklings of doctrines. And I hope, I have 
executed my scheme. 

I ought to add, that as in the doctrine of 
morals, the law of God sets up the standard of 
perfection ; and we must press up to the grand 
model of perfection : even so, we must, by 
persevering diligence, and Christian tact, 
bring the young mind up in knowledge, to the 
holy and high standard of the doctrines of the 
Bible. That man has the fairest opportunity of 
becoming great,— both in the walks of human 
life, and in the course of his religious training 
for heaven, — who resolutely sets up a to himself 
the highest standard of attainment ; and who 
rests in nothing short of that high attainment. 

Our Lord Jesus Christ is, himself, placed 
before us as the high model of perfection, 
which we are to imitate in morals, and holiness. 
His sublime and heavenly doctrines exhibit the 
high standard, and model of our knowledge. 



PREFACE. XV 

And he who begins, in early life, to copy such 
models of grace, and holiness ; and to follow 
out such a lofty standard of perfect knowledge, 
does truly bid fair to be a bright, and shining 
Christian, before the close of his earthly 
career. 

This little volume forms the first part of my 
scheme for youthful instruction. I hope to 
find time to finish " The Christian Youth's 
Book ; and Manual for Young Communi- 
cants." — I have for many years, felt the want 
of such books, for our young people. If divine 
Providence permits, I shall endeavour to offer 
it soon to the Christian public. 

W. C. B. 

New- York : 
December. 1837. 



THE CONTENTS, 



Page 
The Dedication, ------ v 

Preface, - vii 

BOOK I. 

THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

PART L— Chap. I. II. III. IV. The need of a 

Saviour; or, Necessity of Salvation, - 21 

From the fact of Man's universal guilt and de- 
pravity. Here we carry the young student into 
the field of actual inspection — to the system of 
nature — The proceedings of Divine Providence, in 
the judgments of God upon the earth. — All these 
clearly indicate that God is angry with us — Hence 
the need of a Saviour to make an atonement for us. 

PART II.-Chap. I. II. III. IV. V. The need 

of a Saviour, - - * - - - - 57 

We next carry the young student to the Holy 
Scriptures — Adam our federal head, and represen- 
tative — An anecdote to illustrate this — Proof of the 
doctrine of Adam's headship — from Scripture — 
from God's dispensations in regard to infants — the 
3* 



XV111 COXTE^TS. 

Page 
reasonableness, as well as truth, of this doctrine — 
Fatal danger of setting this doctrine aside — Objec- 
tions noticed — Appeal to the consciences of chil- 
dren. 

PART III.— Chap. I. II. The need of a Savi- 
our, 116 

From the consequences of Adam's first sin, and 
our fall in him — The state of man is, — 1st, A state 
of sin and guilt. — 2d. A state of misery — Two 
things that will infallibly keep man out of heaven — 
First, Guilt. — Second, The dominion and pollu- 
tion of sin — The true idea of pardon — The pardon 
of God, not like the pardon of a criminal by a civil 
magistrate — Man's condition of sin and misery 
beyond the remedy of man. Hence the necessity 
of salvation, in order to man's peace and happi- 
ness. 



BOOK II. 

THE WAY OF SALVATION. 
PART I.— Chap. I. II. III. IV. The way of 

SALVATION, 145 

Salvation not by man's own doings, but by a 
substitute, and in that mode alone — Explanation of 



CONTEXTS. XIX 

Page 

this — Objections reviewed — On the supposition 
that man were to enter the arena and satisfy for 
himself before God — What he behoved to do — 
Three impossibilities he must encounter — Room 
was left for the intervention of a substitute — Proof — 
The truth of substitution shown — An inquiry into 
the things which our substitute behoved to do, in 
order to save us — Seven things shown to be essen- 
tially necessary for him fully to do. 

PART II.— Chap. I. II. The way of salvation 

CONTINUED, 189 

Having shown that a door was opened for the 
intervention of a substitute, on the most honourable 
footing, — and having shown what it behoved the 
substitute to do — it is now shown that the Lord 
Jesus Christ is that substitute — Proof — A minute 
inquiry into the various parts of his finished work, 
— The Seven things that were required of him, it is 
proved that he has fully accomplished. 

PART III.— Chap. I. II. III. IV. V. The way 

OF SALVATION CONTINUED, - 205 

Having shown how Christ opened up the new 
and living way, — it is necessary to know how we 
are brought into this way, — and made to walk in it 
— An inquiry into the mode of the effectual applica- 
tion of this finished work of Christ, to us — Our guilt 
and pollution — Our utter inability on our part— 
We have ability, but it is given unto us — God's 



XX CONTENTS. 



right to command those whose guilt has disabled 
them to obey by any human effort- View of God's 
work of grace, — and man's agency in the way of 
duty — Our regeneration — Our faith — Our mode of 
justification — Our guilt taken away — The nature 
of our sanctiiication — Hence the dominion, and pol- 
lution of sin taken away — Two parts in sanctifica- 
tion — the agents of it — means of it — Appeal to the 
conscience — Prayer — Hymn. — The denouement, — 
the incidents in the life of the members of this 
family, after the decease of their parents. 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

BOOK I . 
PART I. 

To prepare the young mind, and impress on it the neces- 
sity of salvation, we begin with showing the melancho- 
ly fact of man's universal guilt, and depravity — no man 
innocent before God — all condemned. We begin by il- 
lustrating this fact, from visits of actual inspection of 
things around us— from the system of nature — and the 
proceedings of Divine Providence — in the judgments 
and afflictions sent upon men of every class, in every 
nation. 

CHAPTER I. 

" When he had opened the second seal, I heard the second living 
creature say, — come and see !" — Rev. vi. 3. 

"Well, here we are home, at last, Dear 
Charles, — after our week's adventures," — said 
Mr. Torwood, as he stepped from the carriage, 
with his son, an amiable youth of seventeen. 
* But come, let us seek your mother in the 
summer-house, where I hear the joyful voice 



22 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

of the little prattlers — your brothers and sis- 
ters." 

'•The adventures of a week, sure enough !" 
cried Charles, as he took his father's arm, and 
walked with him toward the vine arbour. 

Mr. Torwood's country residence is situated 
on one of these beautiful spots on the north 
side of Long Island, which project into the 
Sound, and is nearly surrounded by water : 
a small bay setting up on each side of it, into 
the land, and forming a peninsula ; adorned 
with the richest verdure, and presenting the 
most beautiful scenery : having in front, be- 
yond the charming expanse of waters of the 
Sound, the most lovely landscapes, — terminated 
in the distance by the deep green forests, and 
the blue mountains of New England, 

The mansion-house stands on an eminence, 
embosomed in the shade of lofty oaks and elms, 
its snow-white turrets forming a strong con- 
trast with their dark waving foliage. From 
this summit, crowned with the mansion-house, 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 23 

there is a gentle descent on every side of the 
peninsula, down to the water's edge. The 
fields are covered with rich verdure, some of 
them shorn smooth as the velvet : others wave 
with the luxuriant beauties of the meadow: 
others are crowned with the glory of the gold- 
en wheat and rye : while here and there, are 
seen, through the green boughs of the trees 
which skirt the landscape, and stretch their 
long boughs over the waves, — the white sails 
of vessels speeding onward in their course to 
their destined havens. 

This spot is just such a retreat, as a refined 
mind would sigh after, when, having long 
wandered over distant kingdoms, and foreign 
climes, and retiring from the bustling cares 
of business, he woos peace, and contentment in 
the rural shades. 

" I said, if there's peace to be found in this world, 
It is to be found by the Christian here !" 

" Such a scene of adventures, we have had, 
dear Ma," cried Charles, as he hastened to re- 



24 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

ceive his mother's kind embrace, and kissed 
all his little brothers and sisters. " Only think 
of it." 

"Yes, Charles," said Mr. Torvvood, anti- 
cipating him in his ebullition of youthful ar- 
dour. " On former occasions, my dear chil- 
dren, I had taken pains to give you many af- 
fecting illustrations of what your mother had 
laboured to impress on your minds ; namely, 
that the earth is full of God's goodness. We 
had laboured so to train your minds, that on 
what side soever you turned your eyes, you 
should learn habitually, to see the super- 
abounding goodness of God, lavished on man 
and on beast. The heavens above you are 
reared in grandeur, and decked with beauty ; 
God's glory sparkles in every star. It mildly 
beams forth in the moon, as she walks serenely 
in the vault of night. It pours forth its ineffa- 
ble beauty in the sun ; each cloud wheeling over 
our heads, reveals his power ; and the magni- 
ficent vault of the blue heavens shadows forth 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION, 25 

his unutterable power and greatness. The 
earth around us, and under us, teams with the 
proofs of his presence, and the fruits of his 
bounty. In every blade of grass, we perceive 
his all-pervading presence and power, and in 
each charming flower, which reflects his glory 
in its vivid hues, to my captivated senses. I see 
him in the stately oak, and in the elm's towering 
leafy arches ; and in the beautiful magnolia ; 
and in the bower of the shady catalpa ; and in 
the weeping willow, gracefully waving its long 
limber branches ; and in the hickory, perfum- 
ing the grove with its early bud, and tender 
leaf: and in all the complicated variety of 
shrubbery, from the dogwood's snowy blossoms 
which skirt the forest's pathway, to the sassa- 
fras, the jessamine, and woodbine. There 
God is in every variegated form of bough, and 
leaf, and colour, and perfume. 



Our God 



Warms in the sun, refreshes in the breeze ; 
Glows in the stars and blossoms in the trees*' 



26 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATIOX. 

Yes, we hear him in the murmuring brook, 
and in the whisper ng breeze ; in the gentle 
wind, and in the roaring storm. We see him 
in the rushing torrent, and the smooth-roil- 
ing river. We hear him in the soft dashing 
wave of that clear sparkling bay, and in the 
mountain wave of yon dark rolling sea. All 
these utter the glory of the ever-present Deity ! 
Each bird and each insect has its own peculiar 
note and language, to give utterance to God's 
praise. " O Lord, the earth is full of thy good- 
ness !" 

" These, my dear children, are the themes 
on which your mother has delighted to dwell, 
as her own gentle and devout soul had sought 
to melt your hearts into the love of God by 
admiration of his goodness. 

"But, in our week's excursion, my dear 
Charles," continued Mr. Torwood, " I have 
taught thee other lessons. And listen to me, all 
of you, my darlings, while I teach you, also, 
from their rehearsal. There, as you see, is the 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 27 

deadly hemlock, and the nightshade, as well 
as the lovely flower. There is around you 
the deadly miasma, as well as the delicious 
breeze perfumed with sweetest odours. There 
are the roaring storms of winter, as well 
the soft and balmy breath of spring. There 
are the ravages and desolations of bleak winter, 
as well as the glories of sweet summer. There 
are the lightning's gleams, and the roaring 
thunderbolt, as well as the mellow light, and 
the reflected influences of the sun, moon, and 
stars. There is the deadly hissing snake, as 
well as the melodious birds, which make the 
forests vocal on every hand. There are the 
vulture and buzzard, as well as the dove : the 
lion and tiger, as well as the lamb. In short, 
death walks forth in the bowers of earth's para- 
dise. Demons lurk around us, seeking whom 
they may destroy ; as well as angels who minis- 
ter to us, and keep watch over us, awake and 
asleep." 

" Well I know it," said Charles. " The ad- 



28 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

ventures of a brief week have taught me all 
these surprising lessons." 

" What have you seen, my dear Charles V' 
said the mother, as the rest of the merry little 
children gathered round them from their ex- 
cursions in the adjacent lawn ; each one vying 
with clamorous rivalship who should present 
the prettiest flowers and the sweetest roses to 
their father and mother. 

"I wished, my dear," replied Mr. Torwood, 
again interrupting him, " to impress on Charles's 
young mind, and also on the minds of all our 
children, this solemn truth — that God is as just 
as he is kind ; that he is as holy as he is good ; 
and as faithful as he is forgiving ; and as awfully 
severe as he is full of compassion. You have, 
my dear, with success and propriety, taught 
them that ' the Lord, the Lord God is merciful 
and gracious, long-suffering, abundant in good- 
ness and in truth. 5 It is well : it is a charm- 
ing theme. But we must speak out to our chil- 
dren the whole truth. I have, therefore, been 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION, 29 

filling up, as I could, the true picture, and outline 
of truth ; by showing, through means of facts 
which strike the senses, that in the material 
world there are evidences manifold, if we will 
only study them, that ' God will by no means 
clear the guilty,' nor permit them to pass the 
threshold of heaven. I have taught my boy to 
read, in these strong and deep traces, and clear 
evidences, that < God is jealous ; that the Lord 
revenges ; that the Lord revengeth, and is fu- 
rious ; that the Lord will take vengeance on 
his adversaries ; and that he reserveth wrath 
for his enemies ;' that justice, holy and inflexi- 
ble justice, will not permit man to trifle with 
sin, or make a mock of it with impunity ; 
that sin, in fact, is the most appalling and 
most fatal of all evils ! But go on, Charles, 
and tell us what you have seen, and learned in 
the instructive lessons given to you in the world 
around us. T trust you will see, ere long, into 
the dangerous delusion of those who would 
persuade you that God is so good and loving, 
4* 



30 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

that he will not punish ; and that you are so 
innocent before God, that you really need no 
salvation. Let us see if Nature, or Providence 
reveal any such anomaly as General Mercy 
in the Deity." 

Charles went on : — " Well, Ma, we first 
looked into a criminal court, and saw the 
grave judges presiding in judgment. There 
were many criminals. It was sentence day. 
And, ah ! dear mother, had you only seen their 
horror-stricken faces, their emaciated bodies, 
that had been long pining away in the prison, 
in rags, and filth, and complicated misery ! A 
great criminal was led forward, every eye was 
fixed on him ; the judge pronounced the awful 
sentence of the law on him, as he stood and 
held his quivering hand up. He had robbed, 
and committed murder. All were silent as 
the grave. The judge was very sorry, he was 
quite overcome. I thought he wept, as he ut- 
tered the fearful doom,-that the prisoner should 
be hanged bv the neck, until he should be dead — 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 31 

dead — dead ! The officers of the court were all 
very sorry; they were moved with compassion 
when they put him in chains. And when we 
stood, some time after, near the gibbet, to wit- 
ness the horrid spectacle of the execution of 
a murderer, all were silent. Each man seemed 
to hold in his breath, and remained immove- 
able. The officers of justice were melted ; some 
of them shed tears ; even the executioner was 
moved, while stern justice required the victim 
at his hands. I saw no malice, no indication 
of revenge. All indicated the calm and com- 
posed reign of public justice, exacting full sa- 
tisfaction to the law, and sustaining the go- 
vernment, and securing public safety." 

" It was even so, Charles," said Mr. Tor- 
wood — -"And can we doubt that the Judge 
of all the earth will move on, in his awful 
judgments, in majesty and purity ? There is 
no malice, no revenge, nor selfishness in them, 
after the manner of men. God's anger is no- 
thing more than pure justice inflicting right- 



32 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION* 

eous punishment on sinners. God's wrath is 
nothing more than his calm and unruffled jus- 
tice, proceeding in its majesty, against high- 
handed rebels. God's fierce judgments are no- 
thing more than the pure fire of his holiness, 
burning and consuming vile and unendurable 
depravity ! In his most terrific judgments, 
which make the hearts of the hardened to 
quail, he is set forth as ' jealous, as taking 
vengeance, and as being furious.' This mere- 
ly indicates that his law shall be sustained, 
and its justice have its full course ; while the 
haughty sinner, and abandoned rebel shall be 
ground to powder under the irresistible move- 
ments of his chariot wheels ! The fire of the 
Almighty in his natural world, shadows forth 
the fire of his justice in his moral world. As 
necessarily and as naturally as the roaring 
flames consume the dry stubble, swept by a 
breath of wind into it ; so naturally, and ne- 
cessarily does divine justice consume the im- 
penitent sinner. And note it seriously in 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 33 

your memory, my dear children : just as cer- 
tainly will the impenitent be consumed, who 
walks through life in defiance of his Maker, 
and walks into the fire of justice at the bar of 
God, as was that miserable drunkard consumed 
the other day, who walked into the gulf of 
flames, in that fiercely burning lime-kiln 
which we saw, Charles, the other day ! But 
go on, Charles, with the narrative. " 



34 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 



CHAPTER II. 



11 Earth trembled from her entrails, as again 

In pangs ; and Nature gave a second groan ; 

Sky lowered ; and muttering thunder, some sad drops 

Wept, at completing of the mortal sin 

Original." milt on. 



" As we passed along the Bay, we saw a 
boat superbly decorated, and crowded with 
young people, in all the buoyancy of spirits 
and innocent merriment. In an instant, they 
were struck with a sudden flaw of wind, and 
every one of them was thrown into the water. 
All of them perished, saving a rude, swearing, 
and drunken sailor. And there w T as deep 
grief in one family above all others, when it 
was announced that the only daughter, so 
young — so blooming — so lovely, had sunk to 
rise no more !" 

" And how mysterious is Providence !" said 
Mr. Torwood. " God saved the profane sail- 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 35 

or from the waves, to smite him by another 
death. The day after, Charles, you may re- 
member, we saw him dead in a fit of intoxica- 
tion !" 

" The race-course lay in our way, as we 
rode to the village of Fairhaven. We had 
not been seated long, when melancholy tidings 
arrived, that a young man had been killed. 
His fiery horse had slipped from the line of the 
course, carried him at full gallop against the 
extended branch of an oak, and literally dashed 
him to pieces ! 6 Yes ! God is just and awful 
in his judgments,' said a venerable white- 
headed man sitting near us. ' This reminds me 
of what occurred not many years ago, on a 
Sabbath day, at our village of Cambridge. As 
the pastor of the village church passed from 
the parsonage to the church, three young men, 
much intoxicated, rode past at a furious speed. 

" * I shall not be much surprised, 5 said the 
minister to those looking on, * should God lay 
his hands on some of these youth, and strike 



36 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

an awful blow, to teach a fearful lesson to 
Sabbath breakers and drunkards !' That same 
evening I remember it well — word reached the 
village that one of these young men had been 
drowned, and that the other two had narrowly 
escaped. They had dashed furiously into the 
small lake in the town of Argyle, which lay 
near the road ; and the youth, who was drowned, 
had been thrown over his horse's head into 
the waves ; his companions being so intoxicat- 
ed that they could not bring aid to him." 

" And God's judgments," observed another, 
" do not always single out the most guilty. 
The tears have not yet been dried up which 
are shed for the beloved youth of Auburn 
Theological Seminary, who perished lately, on 
a Saturday, so suddenly, and mournfully in 
Owasco lake." 

" In the course of our exploring tour, we 
passed the Hospital, and the Poor House," 
continued Charles ; " and I can scarcely re- 
member one in a hundred, of the various forms 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 37 

of death, by which disease and poverty are 
consuming and sweeping away the genera- 
tions of men. Some, we saw, burning under 
a fever ; others were chilled by convulsive 
agues : here, lay a palsied man, quite helpless ; 
there, was one in a delirium, exerting a giant's 
strength under the hands of his keepers : here, 
was one in the beauty of youth, wasting away 
under consumption : there was a group close 
by, who were pining away under racking 
pains, and every form of ghastly wounds. 
I felt an oppressive sickness coming over me. 
I covered my face with my hands, and hurried 
into the open air ; while I laboured in vain to 
shut out the horrid spectacle from my me- 
mory." 

" Yes," cried Mr. Torwood, with solemnity, 
" God is just ; and poor suffering man feels 
that he avengeth the honour of his law, and 
insulted government. God carries out the aw- 
ful exhibition of his penal threatening, — 4 Dy- 
ing, thou shalt die !' " 
5 



38 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

" A church-yard always exhibits a solemn 
spectacle to the philosopher, as well as the 
Christian," said Charles. " We visited one of 
the oldest in our city. We felt ourselves 
standing in a vast congregation of the dead. 
We saw the graves of the aged, and the young, 
the man of ripe years, and the little babe. On 
one stone I read the sorrows of a mother, 
poured unavailingly over her sweet child. 
There, again, I read the sorrows of an affec- 
tionate child over a dearly beloved mother, and 
father. Under a broad weeping willow stands a 
snow-white monument : there, a widow records 
her griefs over one who had been dear to her 
as the light of heaven to her eyes, — the hus- 
band of her youth, cut down in early bloom ! 
There, a husband has committed to the dust 
the beloved of his youth, and mingles bitter 
tears with those of his motherless babes. 
There, lies a drunkard, who « has not lived 
half his days.' Here, a whole family is en- 
tombed — wife, husband, and their three chiU 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 39 

dren, who had perished in the dark hour of 
midnight by the rushing in of a sudden de- 
luge upon them, There, is a memorial on that 
wall, to the memory of some sons and bro- 
thers who perished in a shipwreck. The ship 
went down, and all on board perished. Here, 
is another memorial to the gallant youth, on 
board of a national ship, which was sunk in a 
fatal contest, while grappling, yard arms to 
yard arms, with the enemy of his country. 
The foe, watching his opportunity, poured a 
broadside into it, with a roar louder than the 
thunderbolt of heaven. And amid the vo- 
lumes of smoke and fire, it went instantly 
down. The sea closed over it, and all hands 
perished ! Close by, another snow-white mo- 
nument rises over the earthly remains of two 
young ladies, who had fallen into the canal 
and perished, while no parent, nor brother, nor 
lover's hand was near, to rescue them from sud- 
den death !" 

"How novel are the midnight scenes of a 



40 THE ^ECE?SITY OF SALVATION. 

city to one habituated to the perfect stillness 
of the country ! I can scarcely conceive any 
thing more awfully sublime," continued Mr. 
Torwood, i; than the deep-toned alarum bell 
at the dead hour 01 midnight, as it swings its 
notes of thunder, booming through the long 
empty streets ; and is answered by the echo 
from the neighbouring hills. You remember, 
Charles, the scene when we were awakened 
out of our quiet sleep by this terrific clan- 
gour. All was darkness, save where the fire- 
man's lamp, hurrying along, spread a passing 
gleam. The dark clouds rolled heavily over 
the city : and the wide-spreading names sent 
a fearful glare upon them. The piercing cry 
of alarm and distress rose on the stillness of 
night. All was bustle presently. The firemen 
rushed along with cheering cries to the rescue. 
Alas ! how much suffering was now taking 
place. The fire raged ; the winds blew ; co- 
lumns of water dashed, and foamed, and hissed 
over the columns of smoke, and waves of fire. 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 41 

House went down after house, as the flames 
mounted toward the clouds. It swept from 
street to street. The firemen's arms seemed 
paralyzed. Exhausted with labour and watch- 
ing, they sank down in despair ! Street after 
street fell under the flames, still unsubdued, 
and roaring louder and louder ! And the 
rising sun revealed a wilderness of smoulder- 
ing ruins, sending up their smoking vapours 
toward heaven, like Sodom and Gomorrah in 
the day of their ruin. Who can picture all 
the human sufferings of that fearful night, or 
estimate the loss of property, and lives ! 

" What an affecting exhibition of God's 
anger upon a sinful generation, my children," 
said Mr. Torwood ; " God is a holy, a jealous, 
and a just God !" 

" We visited the Asylum of the Juvenile De- 
linquents, one day. Alas ! how painful and 
mortifying to human nature, to behold persons 
so young, locked up, day and night, from re- 
latives and home ; deprived by their crimes, of 
5* 



42 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

their liberty ; and pining away under self-re- 
proach and deep degradation, under the stroke 
of public justice ! 

" We next stole softly into the Asylum for 
the Insane, to catch a glance at the most 
miserable of the species. Here we beheld youth 
and beauty ; manhood and old age, pining 
under the stroke of the Almighty's hand. 
6 The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmi- 
ty ; but oh ! a wounded spirit, who can bear V 
Alas ! poor, smitten, crushed down human na- 
ture ! There, some foamed and gnashed with 
their teeth. Some were putting forth a sturdy 
giant's might to burst asunder the chain that 
bound them. Some rolled in frenzy on the 
floor. Some pierced our ears with terrific 
yells. Some sat motionless in deep silence, 
like ' patience on a monument.' Others sung 
aloud some martial airs, and recounted their 
battle scenes. Some responded in a soft and 
piteous air, which brought tears into our eyes. 
Some strolled about, helpless, and harmless 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 43 

idiots. Some stalked along with a martial air, 
claiming honours due to supreme power, and 
the highest military command ; while others 
hurried through the halls, and avenues among 
the trees, as if engaged in deep speculations, 
and all the energies of untiring business ! In 
one apartment, I saw a tall and comely youth, 
his hair already grey, even to whiteness, with 
grief. He seemed ever and anon, to measure 
his steps, and advance and retreat, and assume 
the position of one about to fight a duel. Ah ! 
he had slain his friend in a duel, in conse- 
quence of a quarrel, originating in some tri- 
fling remark cr other, at New Orleans. His 
father and mother hastened to v/elcome him 
home ; but he was an incurable maniac ! 
From a window I saw a beautiful young fe- 
male confined in a strait jacket. She had just 
been brought in from Chester County. While 
riding, the day before, with a beloved friend, 
her spirited horse ran off, and threw her to the 
ground. She struck her temple, and became 



44 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

deranged. As her eye caught us — ah ! I shall 
never forget the scene — she screamed — 
' Oh ! do come, and take me out of this place : 
I am only eighteen V We hastened away 
from the overwhelming spectacle, as we 
breathed a prayer over poor suffering huma- 
nity J" 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION, 45 



CHAPTER III. 

11 When he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the 
fourth living creature say, — come and see !" 

" We next visited the grand panorama of 
the battle of Waterloo, exhibited at that time 
in Chamber Street. I passed round on the 
different parts of the battle-field, which dis- 
covered at every step, some new scenes of 
blood and havoc, until I could look no longer. 
My eyes were dimmed with tears. It pictured 
forth to me a faint outline of that vast, bloody, 
and horrid field of death ! In ancient times, 
the martial hosts rushed on each other with 
sword in hand ; cutting down each other, 
and deluging the earth with blood ; and cover- 
ing the fields with mountains of the dead. In 
modern times, armies march up, and open a 
deadly fire on each other. A shower of bul- 
lets sweeps away tens of thousands into an 
early grave. The artillery opens its batteries, 



46 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

roaring louder than the thunder of heaven, 
and pours its dreadful hurricane of balls and 
chain-shot on solid masses of troops, marching 
up in all the pomp and dazzling glory of war ! 
In a moment the hurricane has spent its force ; 
the heavy smoke rolls lazily away ; and nothing 
is seen of the blooming youthful host but a 
horrid, unendurable sight of mangled bodies, 
and heads, and limbs ; one vast and confused 
heap of men and horses, the dying and the 
dead ! There, on Waterloo, pictured out 
before us, lay 80,000 human beings, the horrid 
victims of war, and ambition !" 

" Oh ! yes," said Mr. T., " a holy, just, and 
jealous God will take vengeance on the gene- 
rations of guilty men. All nature proclaims 
that God is angry with man. This truth is 
uttered in the ravages of thunder-storms, tem- 
pests, and hurricanes. The interior of the 
earth has been torn, and convulsed by the 
anger of the Almighty. The fountains of the 
great deeps have been broken up, and have 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 47 

spread a terrific desolation, in the flood of 
Noah, over the earth. Fires are busy, wasting 
the bowels of the earth. And volcanos, bursting 
forth with terrific thunder, convert the mountain 
paradise into a smouldering wilderness by 
moving masses of red-hot lava : or, they bury 
fertile plains, and entire cities with showers 
of burning ashes, and melted rocks ! Earth- 
quakes convulse the earth, and spread death 
and havoc over hamlets and villages, towns 
and cities, and whole realms ! How awful 
are thy judgments, O Lord God Almighty ! 
Who of all the sons of men can stand before 
thy wrath, O thou Holy One, when thou givest 
utterance to thy justice by these terrific mes- 
sengers of thy power !" 



48 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

CHAPTER IV. 

" Cursed is the ground for thy sake." jehovah. 

" Now, my children, can any one mistake 
the meaning of these deep and awful voices 
uttered on our ears from on high? Surely 
the materialism of the earth, and the dumb 
beasts, have never offended their Creator. 
And as there can be no malice, and no revenge, 
after the manner of men, in any of these 
judgments of God ; even so, there can be no 
wantonness of a tyrant's visitation in any of 
them, inflicting calamities without a cause. 
No, my dear children, it cannot be. But, true 
it is that God is angry : and it is with the 
wicked sons of men that God is angry every 
day. And in the impartial anger of his 
justice he visits every man's habitation. He 
smites the beasts of the field, he convulses 
the earth, and thus he punishes the guilty, 
criminal man, through them. Nature and 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 49 

Providence thus lift on high their awful voices, 
and proclaim the sentence of the Almighty- 
One, — fi Cursed is the ground for man's sake !' 

" And, Charles, Dick's Christian Philosopher, 
I see, lies near you ; open it at Chap. iv. Sec. 
ii., and read aloud the passage which you 
admire so much." 

Charles read as follows : — " Can we suppose 
that so many engines of terror and destruction, 
dispersed over every quarter of the globe, are 
consistent with the conduct of a benevolent 
Creator towards zninnocent race of men ? If 
so, we must either admit that the Creator had 
it not in his power, when arranging our terres- 
trial system, to prevent the occasional action of 
these dreadful ravagers ; or, that he is indiffer- 
ent to the happiness of his innocent offspring. 
The former admission is inconsistent with the 
idea of his Omnipotence, and the latter, with 
the idea of his universal Benevolence. It is, 
therefore, not enthusiasm, but the fairest de- 
duction of reason, to conclude that they are 
6 



50 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

indications of God's displeasure against a 
race of transgressors, who have apostatized 
from his laws." 

" Now listen to me, my children," continued 
Mr. T., as Charles closed his quotation ; " we 
have, every one of us, in our own consciences, a 
testimony, in addition to these terrible and 
sublime testimonies from nature, that God is 
angry with us. And when a stifled conscience 
does speak out, it shakes the stoutest-hearted 
sinner by its appalling thunders. 

" Then, my dear children, think how much 
our terror is increased in another way. With 
the demonstration of his anger, there comes no 
soothing voice of mercy, from the same quarter. 
The Most High maintains an awful and un- 
broken silence in nature. He draws back the 
face of his throne, and covers it with light, to 
us inacessible, and as utter darkness ! He sits 
in unapproachable majesty, behind the dark 
cloud out of which these terrible judgments 
proceed, to punish the generations of guilty 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 51 

man. We hear the voice of his thunder 
uttered in anger. But there is no speech 
uttered therein, to allay our terrors. 6 We go 
forward, but he is not there; and backward, 
but cannot perceive him ; on the left hand 
where he doth work, but we cannot behold him ; 
he hideth himself on the right hand, that we 
cannot see him.'* Nature and Providence 
make no revealings of his special mercy. The 
blue vault over our heads utters no voice of 
comfort. The seas and oceans speak of noth- 
ing but power, and terror. The green earth, 
with all its beauties spread out profusely 
around us, says, it is not in me to tell of it. 
The Almighty does place his bow in the clouds : 
there it is, simply as a natural phenomenon. 
There is no power in nature, there is nothing 
in Providence, which can raise a voice to tell 
us of a Covenant of Peace, shadowed forth by 
this holy and beautiful symbol of the Most 
High. 

* Job 23, 8, 9. 



52 THE NECESSITY OF SALTATION". 

"Now, my children, we cannot be happy 
without his gracious presence. Peace can 
never rest within our troubled spirits, until 
we know him in mercy. There is an aching 
void in our souls, until he meets us in love. 
Our consciences are harassed, until a message 
of mercy reach us from his throne : and rear- 
ing its bright and lovely bow on the dark, 
angry cloud, it proclaims, in a voice, from the 
Sinless One, that there is a covenant of 
reconciliation, securing peace, and unfading 
hope for fallen man. 

" My dear children, do I succeed in explain- 
ing myself to you ! Charles, you understand 
me? Well, then, to sum up : you see distinctly, 
in all these testimonies and evidences around 
you, that God is angry with rs. And since 
he is angry with us, the cause of his anger 
must be removed entirely, and for ever, from 
between him and us, in order to our being 
happy here with Him, and in the other world 
with Him. Hence, by the very voice of 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 58 

Nature and Providence, it is proclaimed that 
we need a salvation from our sins. And 

WE NEED A REVELATION OF IT FROM GoD, 

who alone can tell us whether he is willing to 
save us, and how he does save us from all our 
sins." 

Charles, — " Yes, my dear father, I think I do 
distinctly see it. We are constrained to be- 
lieve and feel the judgments of an angry God, 
who cannot look upon sin but with abhorrence. 
Hence, unless we admit, in wild despair, that 
God will abandon us forever, — Salvation is 
essentially necessary to our everlasting 
happiness." 

Mr. T. — " You are correct Charles, salvation 
is absolutely necessary to our eternal happiness. 
But, understand you what you say ?" 

C. — "I am not quite sure that I do, my 
dear father." 

F. — " Well, let me then explain : and listen 
to me, all of you, my darlings, for young ones, 
like you, I am persuaded, can be taught of God, 
6* 



54 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

and understand the way of our redemption. 
Understand, then, and know, that in sin against 
God, there are two things which will keep you 
for ever out of heaven, and drive you as 
miserable exiles, from God's presence, unless 
they be both effectually taken away. First, 
there is the guilt of sin ; each sin is the 
positive transgression of the law. By sin, man 
has incurred the threatened penalty, namely, 
death. The guilt of sin, therefore, subjects us 
peremptorily to death, in all its forms. Seeond, 
there is the pollution, and vilexess of sin. 
This makes us shrink back from all holy 
beings, and from a holy God, with infinite 
horror and self-loathing. By guilt we are 
driven from heaven ; by pollution we are 
utterly unfit to enter heaven. 

" Now, it is an immoveable and eternal truth 
of God's word, that law and justice shall, and 
must, have their full course, uninterruptedly. 
God will not, and he cannot pardon as man 
pardons. In every case of pardon issued by 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 55 

a human tribunal, the guilty man is set free 
from punishment without satisfaction to jus- 
tice. Hence, among men, the pardon of a cul- 
prit is extended to him always at the expense of 
public justice, and the law's requirements. 
This is owing to the weakness and imperfection 
of human laws, and the great weakness of 
man's administration of them. But in God's 
most holy government, there can occur no 
such instance. God never does, as he never 
can, pardon at the expense of his law and 
justice. In every case, without a single ex- 
ception, divine law and justice have their full, 
free, and uninterrupted course in God's govern- 
ment. 

" Hence, my dear children, we arrive at this 
conclusion — that it is just as certain as God is 
just, that pardon through redemption is neces- 
sary. For that is the only mode of pardon, in 
which law and justice have their full display 
of glory, in their exact harmony with divine 
love and mercy. 



56 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION, 

" We must, therefore, fully satisfy law and 
justice, in our own persons, or in the person 
of a substitute, if such can be found, in order to 
enter heaven. If this be not done by a 
substitute, we must sink down, forever, under 
the claims of law and justice ! That is to say, 
we must, as criminals, be doomed, in that alter- 
native, to everlasting perdition, to render up, 
each one for himself, a perfect satisfaction to 
law and equity, by unendurable and eternal 
misery ! 

" But, I shall resume this again, my children ; 
when I shall bring you to the living Oracles of 
God, therein to read fully, and clearly what 
we have been thus trying, like little children, -to 
spell out of the comparatively dim pages of 
the book of Nature, and Providence*" 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 



PART II. 

CHAPTER I. 

" Haste thee, and from the paradise of God, 
Without remorse, drive out the sinful pair ; 
From hallowed ground, the unholy ; and denounce 
To them, and to their progeny, from thence 
Perpetual banishment." Milton. 

The next day was ushere_d in by dark roll- 
ing clouds and a damp atmosphere. Our 
young group could not avail themselves of 
the usual pleasures, of strolling over the lawns, 
or sailing in the Bay, or lounging in the 
arbour. Charles expressed his deep mortifica- 
tion, and was all impatience. Mrs. Torwood 
was busy settling a quarrel which had arisen 
in her little republic ; and was singing a soft 
and plaintive air as she held the little brawl- 
ing Joseph on her lap, and was soothing his 



58 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

exasperated spirit, not by striking him ; not 
by scolding him ; but by the soothing music 
of a mother's melting voice. Mr. Torvvood 
was busy watching the movements of a dark 
and angry cloud which had been accumulating 
over the masion-house ; and of another that 
was sailing up against it, heavily charged with 
electricity. He knew what would instan- 
taneously take place on their meeting ; and 
he was watching the result with much interest. 
"I do love such a dark rainy day !" said 
David, as he laid down his book, and sat down 
near his father, and watched alternately his 
face, and the dark clouds. " It seems to fill 
one's mind with deeper and more solemn 
thoughts of God ; does it not, Pa ? And when 
I hear the pattering of the rain, and the sigh- 
ing of the wind through the trees, while I 
follow the march of the hurricane over the 
forests, my mind is more fixed. I can study 
better, and follow you, dear Pa, more easily in 
your instructions. Is it not so, Ma?" con* 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 59 

tinued David. " Such a blustering, and tumult 
among the elements without, makes one feel so 
good, and so comfortable within doors, among 
those we love." 

His mother smiled. " Ah ! you are a 
philosopher, little David," cried Mr. Torwood, 
" And there is truth, David, in what you 
say ; and poetry, too, as well as philosophy. 
Beattie in his Minstrel makes his young poet 
to climb the lofty rocks, and gaze down upon 
the sea-washed cliffs, and admire the thunder 
and the wild raving storms. And Charles, 
my dear, you would be better employed, if, 
instead of repining under the disappointment 
of the weather, you were to taste, with David, 
the pleasures of the sublime and awful, by re- 
posing on that sofa near the window, in all the 
delicious consciousness of safety ; while you 
look out on that angry cloud, surcharged with 
electricity, and repeat the poetry of the loftiest 
conception, — ' God from his watery treasures, 
pours his showers on the parched earth !' " 



60 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

At this instant, there was a gleam of light- 
ning ; the thunderbolt struck a tall oak close 
by, and the roar, instantaneous with the flash, 
shook the house to the foundation. There was 
a long and deep silence, while the younger of the 
children clung around their mother's knees. 

" God is near us !" said Mr. T. as he en- 
deavoured to calm his wife and children. "'I 
saw where he stood by the flash of his eye !' 
David, you have a taste for the sublime, and 
courage to face the awful ; open the Bible, and 
read aloud the twenty-ninth psalm." David 
opened the Holy Bible, and read with a firm and 
solemn voice. And flash after flash, roar 
after roar, succeeded each other for a few 
minutes incessantly, and the rain fell in tor- 
rents as he read these words : — " The voice of 
the Lord is upon the waters ; the God of glory 
thundereth ; the Lord is upon many waters ; the 
voice of the Lord is powerful ; the voice of the 
Lord is full of majesty ; the voice of the Lord 
breaketh the cedars ; yea, the Lord breaketh the 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 61 

cedars of Lebanon, The voice of the Lord 
divideth the fames of fire." 

The storm passed away. And while yet the 
rumbling of the distant thunder was heard in- 
distinctly, the heavy thunder cloud rolled 
away, and the sun, from behind it, shone forth 
in his glory. " There was a clear heat after 
rain." Every thing assumed an air of fresh- 
ness and beauty. The pearly dew- drops 
sparkled from every blade of grass ; and every 
leaf reflected back ten thousand varied and 
brilliant hues. The birds resumed their loud 
carrol, in a hundred different notes ; and all 
nature seemed vocal to Jehovah, who moves 
in the whirlwind, and directs the storm. Far 
on the right hand, a spendid rainbow made its 
appearance ; the one end of its stately arch 
resting on the shores of New England, the other 
on Long Island ; the summit reposed peacefully 
on the bosom of the dark cloud, in the lofty 
vault of heaven. 

" Come, see the rainbow, children, 5 ' cried 
T 



62 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION, 

Charles. And every one hurried out into the 
porch to see it. " What a beautiful object," 
cried Mr. Torwood. " Now, Charles, I pray 
you, turn up the ninth chapter of Genesis, vv. 
8 — 18, and read aloud the appointment of the 
symbolical use of that splendid phenomenon. 
Let us hear the voice of God's word, as our 
eyes are charmed with his handy work !" 
Charles then read aloud, as the eyes of all the 
group rested on the glorious rainbow : — " I do 
set my bow in the clouds ; and it shall be the 
token of a covenant between me and the earth ; 
when I bring a cloud over the earth, the bow 
shall be seen in the cloud ; and I will look 
upon it, that I may remember the everlasting 
covenant between God, and every living 
creature of all flesh, upon the earth." 

" Our God is very near us," said the mother, 
giving utterance to the feelings of all the rest. 
" Our God is there before us. He remembers 
us. While we are looking on the rainbow, He 
is looking upon it, in the remembrance of his 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 63 

covenant of mercy with all flesh. Our God 
will no more drown the world with a flood : 
nor our souls with the overwhelming ven- 
geance of his wrath. For in the holy visions 
of St. John, he beheld a rainbow round about 
our Father's throne. 

" And you must not forget one striking 
thing in that rainbow," continued Mrs. T., as 
she pointed to the beautiful arches ; " you per- 
ceive another rainbow, dimmer, and farther in 
the distance, beyond a darker portion of the 
cloud, than what is in the interior of the lower 
rainbow. I think I may venture to say, my 
dear children, that the remoter and dimmer 
rainbow is the emblem of the Old Testament 
dispensation of grace, which has now receded 
into the distant shade, for our contemplation : 
and the other rainbow is the symbol of the 
same covenant of peace, in the perfect, more 
brilliant, and ever enduring dispensation of the 
New Testament. Don't you think so, my 
dear?" 



64 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

" I thank you, my dear," said Mr. T., " for 
that fine sentiment : I have often thought so 
too. But come, we are now prepared, my 
darlings," said Mr. T., drawing his chair 
forward into the family circle, M to go on with 
what I promised you yesterday, namely, the 
discussion of the necessity of salvation, 
as taught in the oracles of God. 

" And here, I repeat to you, and beg you to 
remember, the great fundamental truth, with 
which I wish to set out, in this matter. We all 
sinned in Adam, and fell with Adam in his first 
transgression ; and we are of consequence, inex- 
tricably involved in fatal guilt and misery with 
him. This I wish to impress deeply on you 
all, as a fundamental truth of the Bible, not to 
be surrendered by us. 

" And here, children, I shall tell you a para- 
ble. It has come down to us by tradition ; for 
I assure you, I did not make it. It is the story 
of an old man, and his master. The old man 
was very poor, and feeble, and entirely de- 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATIOX. 65 

pendent on his master, who was very rich and 
generous. He was employed by this rich man 
to fell timber in his forests, and to cut it up. 
It happened, one day, as his master stood near 
him, behind a leafy thicket, and unseen by him, 
that he was heard, at every blow of his axe, as 
he toiled and sweated under the burning sun, 
ever and anon repeating to himself, s Ah ! had 
it not been for Adam's first sin, I should not 
have been compelled to labour thus!' 6 Ah\ 
this is the bitter fruit of Adam's sin !' 

" This he went on repeating, at every fresh 
stroke of his axe on the tree, * xih ! I am 
indebted to Adam's sin and fall, for all this !' 

" His master, the rich man, approached him, 
and after some general conversation, he said 
to him, ' My friend, I have heard your lamen- 
tations, and am grieved to witness your labours 
and sorrows, although I am not exactly satisfied 
with your impatience and restlessness, under 
them. Throw down your axe, and come with 
me. You shall be gaily clothed, fed, and com- 
7* 



66 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

for ted to your heart's content ; you shall sleep 
safely in my palace ; and on a bed of down, you 
shall forget all your cares. And,' added he, 
as he led him into his mansion house, and 
placed him near a richly furnished table, ' you 
may eat freely of all the dishes set down before 
you, on that table ; you may indulge freely in 
everv thing, that is befitting moderation and 
temperance ; and a full portion shall be sent 
daily to your wife and children. But, mark 
me,' and he laid his hand on the old man's 
arm, in order to make a deep impression on his 
attention while he added, with emphasis — 
' mark my words with becoming solemnity ; 
you are put on probation for one month. Of 
every dish placed on that table, you may freely 
eat ; but of that single vessel, placed in the midst 
of the table, you must not of eat it ; nor must 
you lift the cover, nor even look into it. If 
you obey me, you and your children shall be 
adopted into my family, and made my heirs ; 
if you disobey me, you shall be forthwith driven 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 67 

out of my house, and sent back to your former 
labours and sorrows ; and your children will 
of course, share of your beggary and ruin.' 

" The old man kindly thanked his benefac- 
tor, for the generous offer, and the very easy 
and reasonable terms. And he made many 
solemn protestations of perpetual fidelity and 
obedience. His master did not need to ask his 
consent, or that of his family. The bare mention 
of the terms constrained him promptly to 
accept the offer. And he was the more 
abundant and earnest in his protestations of 
obedience, inasmuch as the happiness of his 
wife and children was involved in this, as well 
as his own. 

" Day after day passed away in uninterrupted 
happiness. No desire was left unsatisfied ; 
and his family shared most liberally in the 
bounty. But, that dish, yes, that dish, it was 
always before him ! As he became habituated 
to ease, and affluence, and luxury, he began to 
wonder what new luxury could possibly be 



68 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

treasured away in that dish — that beautiful 
dish ! At every returning meal, amid his 
plenty and happiness, this thought still oc- 
curred ; and was still repeated in his mind, 
' what new thing — what novel luxury can be in 
that dish !' By degrees the resolution sprung 
up in him, that, though he was determined not 
to eat of it, he might, at least, just look into it ; 
he would just lift the covering, and satisfy his 
longing desire to see the contents. He doubt- 
ed not that he should have courage enough 
not to eat of it. The half of the month had 
now elapsed, when one day, he thought he 
would just venture to lift the covering, and 
look in ; no one would ever know it. The con- 
tents would be sacredly preserved ; all would be 
right, when the eye of the examiner reviewed it. 
In a evil hour, he yielded, and looking round to 
see that none witnessed it, he put forth his 
hand, and lifted the covering of the forbidden 
dish ! Instantly a small animal leaped swiftly 
out. It was a mouse ! It was gone in a mo- 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 69 

ment ; it was lost forever ; it could not be 
replaced by any effort on his part ! He wrung 
his hands ; and threw himself down in despair, 
and groaned with agony and despair ! 

" The master, as usual, at the close of the 
meal, visited the table ; and examined the 
dish. Its inmate was gone ! 

"< What hast thou done, old man !' exclaim- 
he ; ' thou hast lifted this covering — thou hast 
looked into the dish. Its inmate is gone. 
Thou hast transgressed the covenant I made 
with thee !' 

" He summoned his servant ; and without 
uttering another word, or listening to any 
apology, he commanded him to put the coarse 
garments again on the old man ; to put the 
axe into his hands again ; and carry him 
forthwith back to the scene of his former la- 
bours, and sorrows. And as he passed mourn- 
fully along, the master said, ' Learn wisdom 
form the past. Roll, no more, the blame on 
Adam, Thou hast, like the rest, given thy 



70 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

full consent to the sin of Adam, by just doing 
what he did. Thou hast reduced thyself, and 
thy children to poverty. Blame not Adam : 
look into thy own heart, and be humbled be- 
fore the Most High ! Thou hast deliberately 
transgressed the covenant of thy own choice, 
and violated conditions the most reasonable. 5 " 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 71 

CHAPTER II, 
" By one man sin entered into the world; and death by that sin." 

M Now, children, I hope you have reaped in- 
struction from this parable. Well then, let me 
proceed to illustrate the doctrine, shadowed 
forth by it. And before I have done, I trust 
that every one in this circle, that is capable of 
knowing the right hand from the left, will feel 

THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

" First, then, I beg you will take notice of this 
fundamental gospel doctrine, that all of us par- 
take of the guilt of Adam's first sin. You will 
take notice, Charles and David, that it is only 
of Adam's first sin, that we are guilty. The 
reason is this : after Adam, our common pa 
rent, had fallen, by this first act of his rebel- 
lion, the covenant of works made with him, 
and all his posterity, was, from that moment, 
broken. He ceased to be our representative ; 



72 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

and all his after sins were his own private, per- 
sonal sins. Now, I wish to satisfy you fully, 
here, on two points. The first is this; that 
Adam was, in fact, our substitute, or represen- 
tative. The second is this ; when Adam sin- 
ned against God, and fell ; all of us, his de- 
scendants, proceeding from him by ordinary 
generation, sinned in him, and fell with him 
in his first transgression. 

" Some of you are old enough, my children," 
continued Mr. T., as he cast his eyes around 
the circle of his sons and daughters, shooting 
up into man and womanhood, " to understand 
the meaning and the operation of substitution, 
and representation. The operation is com- 
mon and familiar to all. I, your father, am 
your representative and substitute in law, and in 
society. When I set my hand and seal to a 
deed, and a mortgage, that act of mine, with, 
or without your leave asked, binds you, and all 
my posterity, for ever. The members of As- 
sembly, and of Congress, are our representa. 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 73 

lives. Their enactments of laws are binding 
on us, although our consent was never asked 
to them. A merchant sends his agent to Lon- 
don with goods, to transact business for him. 
If that agent manages correctly, all the gain 
is the merchant's gain, though he w 7 as not on 
the spot. If he loses all entrusted to him ; 
and, moreover, incurs heavy debts, — all these 
losses and these debts are the merchant's 
losses and debts, although he has not given his 
consent to them personally. 

" In like manner, my dear children, our com- 
mon parent Adam, was our representative, or 
substitute. Had he been faithful to his God, 
and had he religiously kept the covenant of 
works, his obedience would have saved himself 
and us from death, and all our woes. And, 
moreover, it would have secured to us all, on 
the terms of the covenant, a title and entrance 
into heaven, and everlasting glory." 

Charles. — " But stop, father ; you go on too 
fast, I must dissent from you 3 here. I never 
8 



74 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

did give my consent to Adam's sin ; on what 
principle of justice and of equity can his sin 
and guilt either be mine, or be called mine ?" 

Mr. T. — "You err, dear Charles, in several 
points. I beg you carefully to remember that 
Adam's consent to the covenant of works, was 
not asked by God. To have asked his con- 
sent, would have been an insinuation against 
Adam's perfection and holiness. In a cove- 
nant between men, I heartily grant you, my 
dear boy, mutual consent is essentially neces- 
sary. But in a covenant between God, and 
man, such as Adam's was, it is quite different. 
The moment that God proposes the condition 
and covenant to a holy soul, there cannot be 
any thing on his part, but a prompt accession. 
The record of all such transactions between 
God and man, establishes this : — < This is the 
covenant which I enjoin upon you, saith the 
Lord.'* Adam being a perfect and holy being, 
could not do otherwise than give a prompt 

* Heb. IX, 20. Deut. XXIX, 1. and Jerem. XI, 3, 4. 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 75 

acquiescence in the covenant of works and its 
conditions, the moment it was revealed to him. 
Hence, had you been there, side by side with 
Adam, your consent would never have been 
asked by the Most High. Even among men, 
the head of a family is not required to ask the 
consent of his infant, and unborn children, to 
his signature to a deed, or a mortgage. I shall 
put a case, my children, to make the thing 
plain to you. 

"Look across that Bay : you see those beau- 
tiful and highly cultivated fields, and those 
turrets peering from the green shades of those 
paternal oaks. That is the estate and mansion- 
house of the late Judge Bedford. He was left 
seized of the richest possessions in this county. 
In the infancy of his numerous family, he 
squandered it away. It was cut up piecemeal ; 
and deed after deed, mortgage after mortgage, 
were given by him. At last, it is all gone. 
He died poor ; and left his numerous offspring 



76 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

very poor, and exposed to manifold miseries, as 
we all know, this day. 

" Now, listen to me, my children, I am going 
to make every one of you a judge. You are now 
sitting in judgment. Suppose young Aleck, his 
grandchild, or one of his great-grandchildren, 
were to present himself in our county court, and 
gravely demand back, by process of law, that 
splendid estate ; and suppose he were to set 
up this marvellous plea, gravely suggested to 
him, by some of our theologians of the day : 
suppose — in short — he were to put in this plea 
most eloquently, — that 'he never gave his con- 
sent to his ancestor's profligacy, nor to his 
signing of these deeds, and mortgages ; that all 
debt, like all sin, consists in 6 voluntary action :' 
that that crime of his ancestor, was his own 
' voluntary action :' that he, the descendant, never 
gave his consent to those debts, which brought 
ruin on him. Why should I be punished so 
ruinously in my ancestor ? Is there either jus- 
tice, or reason in this, I pray you ? — All debt 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 77 

lying in ' voluntary action? I cannot in law, 
or equity, be considered as having any thing to 
do with any debt, but my own debt, voluntarily 
contracted ? I do, therefore, demand justice — - 
nothing but justice — at your hands ; and the 
restoration of all, and whole of this, my ances- 
tor's estate.' Now, I pray you, Charles, what 
would the bench of Judges say to this novel 
equitable claim ?" 

Children. — " The Judges would all say, that 
Aleck was deranged, — would they not, father? 
We are judges too, dear pa, and we pronounce 
the same. Aleck would be surely deranged did 
he set up this plea !" 

Father. — " Unquestionably, in civil matters, 
such a plea put in, would subject any man, in 
our republic, to the suspicion of lunacy ! 
Why it should be otherwise in spiritual and ec- 
clesiastical law, is more than I have yet been 
able to discover." 

Charles.-—" Now, I do see into it : and, upon 
the same principles, the merchant of New-York 
8* 



78 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

might set up the same plea, that all debt, like all 
the deht of sin, lies i in voluntary action :' 
that as he never gave his consent to his London 
agent's squandering away all his goods ; and 
contracting, moreover, ruinous debts,— he will 
not pay one of them ! The fact is, however, 
that by no law could he escape the claims of 
his London creditors. None but the knave 
will say that all debts, like all sin, lie in ' vo- 
luntary action' and personal consent. He 
must pay debts that are contracted by his 
agents, and representatives ; as well as those 
contracted in person, and by voluntary consent. 
Why, I should suppose that these maxims are 
the fundamental maxims, and regulations, in 
every commercial enterprise." 

Father: — "You are quite correct, my son. 
It is so with debts, as with sin : and with sift, 
as it is with debt, contracted by an accredited 
agent, and a paternal substitute. Because one 
kind of sin, and one kind of debt are binding on 
us, by real and voluntary action : it certainly 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. T9 

is not to be denied that there is another kind 
of sin, and another kind of debt, that is also 
binding on us, by an equal obligation, from 
our federal connexion with our agents, and sub- 
stitutes. You know, my dear children, how 
and why, I had to pay the heavy debts on this 
estate, which had been contracted by my ances- 
tors ; and which descended to me the heir of 
the estate. They were as actually my debts, as 
were those which had been contracted by ' vo- 
luntary action. 5 Do you perceive it, my chil- 
dren ?" 

Children : — " Oh yes, indeed we see that no- 
thing can be more reasonable and just." 

Father: — "But this is not all. I wish to 
impress on your young minds, that if we set 
aside the covenant of works made with Adam ; 
we must, on the same principles, set aside the 
covenant of grace, made with our Lord Jesus 
Christ. If we deny Adam's federal representa- 
tion of us ; we must, on the same principles, 
deny our Redeemer's federal representation of 



£0 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

us. If we disbelieve original sin and guilt, be- 
cause we gave no consent to his sin ; we must, 
to be consistent, look for no benefit from our 
Lord's atonement, because we gave no consent 
to him, as our substitute, or to it, as our substi- 
tute's work. If we believe that we have no share 
in Adam's sin ; we cannot induce ourselves to 
believe that we have any share in our Lord's 
redemption. If we die not in Adam ; we are 
not made alive in Christ. If the principle 
be wrong that Adam should have repre- 
sented us, it is equally wrong that our surety, 
the Lord Jesus Christ, should have represented 
us. If it be incorrect, in principle, to be sub- 
jected to the consequences of a substitute's de- 
linquency ; it is equally wrong to receive the 
benefit of a faithful Redeemer's atonement, offer- 
ed up on our behalf. You see, then, I trust, my 
dear children, very distinctly, that the same 
error, which would betray us to reject the cove- 
nant of works, and the substitution of our fede- 
ral head therein, will positively lead us, by the 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 81 

natural process, thereof, to reject the covenant 
of grace, and salvation though our federal head, 
Christ ! And this would be the setting aside, 
and rejection of the entire Gospel of God ; and 
the cutting off the last hope of pardon, and eter» 
nal happiness from ruined man ! JJ 



82 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 



CHAPTER m. 

■*' Of man's first disobedience, and the fruit 
•Gf that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste, 
Brought death into our world, and all our woes, 
Sing, heavenly muse !" Milton. 

" Let me have your attention a little farther, 
my darlings; while I open the Holy Bible, and 
point out a few striking instances of God's 
entering into covenant with parents, and their 
children, while as yet they were unborn. 
Here, David, my dear, read aloud to us that 
verse, namely, the 14th, of the xxix chapter of 
Deuteronomy. " He read as follows :-" Neither 
with you only, do I make this covenant, and 
this oath; but with him that standeth here, 
with us, this day, before the Lord our God ; 
and also with him that is not here, with us, this 
day." 

" Now, David," continued Mr. T. " read to 
os, Jeremiah xi, 3, 4." David read aloud the 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION, 88 

passage : " Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, 
cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words 
of the covenant, which I commanded your 
fathers in the day that I brought them forth, 
out of the land of Egypt." 

"I think no words can make it plainer to 
you, my dear children^ Here, parents are 
distinctly recognized by the Almighty Ruler of 
all, as the federal representatives of their 
children. It is not only true, therefore, but 
reasonable, to affirm that Adam was our federal, 
as well as our natural parent, and head, in the 
covenant of works. 

" Our Scripture proof will carry us a step 
farther, it carries us directly into this truth, that 
when Adam sinned, and fell, we all sinned and 
fell in him. Tell me, dear children, in whose 
image was Adam made ?" 

All the children said at once, " In the image 
of Him who made him ; and that consisted in 
knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness ; so 



84 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

you have taught us, dear father and mother, 
out of the Holy Bible," 

Father. — " That is very well. Now, that 
Adam sinned and fell, is a painful truth. We 
have the melancholy detail in the third chapter 
of Genesis. That he lost the image of God is 
equally evident. For God said, < Behold the 
man ! he was as one of us, to know good and 
evil.' So I render the passage of holy writ, 
literally, Charles, with old Adam Gibb, and 
other able critics. ' So God drove out the 
man.' ' Dust thou art ; and unto dust shalt 
thou return.' 'Man being in honor, abideth 
not ; he is like the beasts that perish.' And now, 
it is equally evident, that man lost the image of 
God in Adam. * Who can bring a clean thing 
out of an unclean ? Not one.' Hence it was 
declared of Adam's first-born son, ' That Adam 
begat a son in his own likeness, after his 
own image.' And presently it was declared 
by the pen of inspiration, that ' the Lord 
looked upon the earth ; and behold, it was cor- 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 85 

rupt : for all flesh had corrupted his way on 
the earth. 5 

"Had this deplorable corruption of all man- 
kind taken place, by the imitation of bad 
example, surely some would have escaped the 
infection, and fearful depravity ! But, in no 
age, and in no part of our globe — not even in 
the most retired and obscure islands of the 
seas — has one single man ever been found in- 
nocent, and pure, to this day ! 

" I shall read you a few more passages. tf That 
which is born of the flesh is flesh.' By jlesh, 
here, and in similar passages, is intended hu- 
man depravity. So it is used in that passage, 
« flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of 
God.' And there, my dear children, is a striking 
exposition in Psalm 58, 3. ' The wicked are 
estranged from the womb, they go astray as 
soon as they be born, speaking lies.' That is, 
man is a depraved creature, from the earliest 
hour of his infancy. This cannot, as we have 
seen, be the effect of imitating bad examples. 
9 



86 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

For it is expressly said by the psalmist in ano- 
ther place, ' Behold. I was shaped eh sin. 
and in iniquity did my mother conceive me.' 
Let me only add Isaiah xlviii, S, ; Thou wast 
called,' that is, by God the Judge of all, ; thou 
art called,' and therefore thou art a trans- 
gressor from the womb. That is, men were 
depraved and wicked, in the earliest hours of 
their existence. 

" I trust now. my children, that it is as evi- 
dent that we sinned in Adam, and fell with him, 
as it is that we derive our common nature 
from him." 

Charles. — < ; Allow me, dear father, an expla- 
nation. You have said •' the wicked go astray as 
soon as they be born, speaking lies.' Xow, 
pardon me, but I really cannot see how an in- 
fant can go astray, or speak lies, before they 
can either walk, or speak." 

Father. — " Before God's most pure eyes, the 
absence of truth, and the loss of the divine 
image on the soul, are, in a subject of his moral 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION, 87 

government, the same thing as the fact of 
the person's being ' gone astray. 5 And the 
absence of truth, and of the image of God, is 
* a lie,' The exhibiting of this absence of truth, 
and the absence of the divine image, is the 
same thing as holding up, or uttering 6 a lie,' 
before God. We are ' in the truth,' when God's 
image is in us. The absence of that is the ex- 
hibiting, or uttering of ' lies.' Hence, a human 
being's corrupt nature, lying open before 
Jehovah's pure eyes, even while no words are 
expressed, does actually utter lies to him as 
often as his spotless justice and purity look 
upon him, and require truth and his own image 
in him." 

Charles. — " I am fully satisfied with your 
exposition. But, father, is it not a safe doctrine, 
that Adam's sin and his fall, and consequent 
misery, have been the occasion of all our sin ; 
the occasion of our actual guilt and misery, 
and not the federal cause of it ?" 

Father. — " My dear Charles, that process 



88 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

would be an attempt at cutting the knot, in- 
stead of loosing it. For, if every human 
being does, in fact, derive a corrupt nature 
from Adam, and does necessarily sin, by the 
occasion of Adam's sin and fall ; while at the 
same time, you deny that man has any covenant 
connexion with him, as their substitute and 
representative, you do make Adam, in this case, 
by your own showing, not merely the occasion, 
but the absolute and immutable cause of all our 
sin and misery. You make Adam the ne- 
cessary cause of all our sinning, while yet, on 
the principle you allege, we had no share, no 
participation whatever, in his guilt ! Can 
you discover any equity or justice in this ? 

"1 shall put a case for plain illustration. 
Could you defend the justice or equity of a 
human judge, who would act on such a princi- 
ple as this in a civil court ? Could you justify 
a governmental act among men, which would 
necessarily and infallibly make the people of a 
whole city, to be involved in bankruptcy, and in 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 89 

utter ruin and misery, through the occasion of a 
certain inhabitant of that city, with whom 
they had no business transaction, nor covenant 
engagements, having failed, and having ruined 
himself, soul and body, by his own wickedness 1 
Can a covenant breaker with God, and a profli- 
gate, be, in any case, the occasion of the whole 
inhabitants of his city being involved in 
necessary ruin and misery ; when they had no 
connexion in his covenant, nor share in his 
transactions ? All the persons bound with the 
principal, in bond, must suffer with the principal 
when he fails, and is ruined. But, on what 
principle of equity, or of common sense, can the 
failure and ruin of the principal be the occasion 
of the necessary ruin of all the people of his 
city, when they had not been joined in the 
bond with him ; nor had any covenant, or 
business transaction with him whatever?" 

Charles. — " I thank you for that ; I do see it 
now, and I must admit that there can be no 
law, nor justice in the case. In fact, a govern- 
9* 



90 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

ment, proceeding on this principle, on which the 
teachers of this novel doctrine do actually re- 
present the Almighty as uniformly proceeding, 
in his moral government, would really offer an 
outrage to all equity ; and would, in my view, 
violate all justice, and mock the common sense 
of mankind ! There must be an actual cove- 
nant connexion between our common head, 
Adam, and us, before, in any sense, we can be 
made in law, necessarily to sin by him, or in 
him, or through the occasion of him. There are 
difficulties attending your doctrine, father ; as 
there are difficulties in all the deep things of 
God. But in this novel theory, which we have 
been discussing, there is, in my humble opinion, 
a positive absurdity; and no less than an outrage 
on the great principles of common equity ! At 
least I beg to say, it seems so, in my poor 
opinion." 

Father. — "I am fully of the same opinion, 
Charles. But let us go on to examine a few 
more passages from the Scriptures, to confirm 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 91 

our main point. I open to yon, my children, 
that strong text in 1 Cor. xv, 22 : 'In Adam all 
die. 5 And, let me put down beside this, the 
other text, < The wages of sin is death.' Now, 
I am certain, little Amelia, there, does under- 
stand the conclusion. Let us try ; since there 
is no death without sin, if we die in Adam, 
as we are divinely told we do, then most cer- 
tainly did we sin in Adam. And it is equally 
evident, that it could not be actual sin, or 
voluntary, and personal action. For we did 
not exist at that time, when Adam sinned. 
But there is, here, evidently a sin causing our 
death in Adam. It remains for us only to 
admit, that it must have been the sin of our 
substitute, and covenant head ; which is really 
ours in virtue of our oneness with him, as our 
head in the covenant. And it being really 
ours in the eye of law and justice, it is thence 
imputed to us, or placed to our account. And 
we suffer, accordingly, all the penalty of the 
broken covenant ; just as those, who are bound 



92 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

in the deed or bond, do all suffer with the prin- 
cipal ; and fully as much as he does, when he 
becomes bankrupt. 

" Hear me again, my dear children. St. 
Paul, when contrasting the two Adams, says, by 
the Holy Spirit, ? We have borne the image of 
the earthly Adam.' This, you may recollect, 
is a repetition of the passage in Genesis, 
namely, * Adam begat a son in his own image :' 
that is, like his fallen head, he was a guilty, 
miserable, vile, dying sinner. Now, such is 
our condition, one and all, as the guilty children 
of fallen man. But, neither the justice, nor 
the equity of God, would have allowed Adam's 
children to be begotten in this condition, had 
they not actually been in him, and represented 
by him, and, of course, had shared in his guilt. 
For real participation in the sin of Adam, is 
the basis of its being imputed to us. It is 
not our sin by an arbitrary act of imputation. 
The sin is ours by real participation with him, 
and in him, as our covenant head and substitute. 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 93 

Hence it is most justly and righteously imputed 
to us, The debt contracted by the merchant's 
agent in London, is really his by his connex- 
ion with the agent ; hence, as it is his really, 
his creditors do justly impute it, or charge it 
to him, and demand it of him. My children 
I ask you to be careful in keeping in memory 
this explanation of the word impute, and the 
basis of the imputation. For men, mistaking 
the Bible use of the word impute ; and also for- 
getting the true basis of this imputation, have 
raised objections against this plain doctrine, 
which I have seen vanish speedily away from 
sensible and well-informed minds, the moment 
this explanation is made. This was actually 
the case with one of the most able lawyers and 
accomplished statesmen I have ever been ac- 
quainted with. He opposed, with unusual 
warmth, and real abhorrence, what he under- 
stood to be the doctrine of ' imputing Adam's 
sin to him ;'that is, ' making Adam's sin to be 
his, by imputing it to him.' This sounded in 



94 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

his ear, as if the imputation of crime was 
charged on him, when he was conscious of 
innocence. 

" I took the liberty of replying, — ; Why, my 
dear sir, I entirely agree with you. You are 
simply repelling a grossly mistaken viesv of the 
whole matter, which I repel, as zealously as you 
do. Pray, sir/ said I to him, — i was this fine 
estate of yours, free of debt, when you inherited 
it from your grandfather V 'Xo; I had a 
heavy debt from my old ancestor ?' 

" Did you contract it P 1 

" Xo : it was contracted by my grandfather V ' 

" Why did you pay it V' 

" Because it was legally mine : he was my 
legal head ; his signature to the bonds, bound 
me.'"' 

M Then it was really your debt contracted i:\ 
him V' 

K Why, to be sure, it was as much my debt 
really contracted in him, and by him, as if I bad 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 95 

personally, and by voluntary act, contracted it 
myself. " 

" Hence it was imputed to you on this basis, 
that it was really, though not actually yours. 
Mr. Senator," I added, " I am happy to find you 
such an enlightened advocate of the true Scrip- 
ture doctrine of original imputed sin." — I was 
delighted to see how this plain exposition flashed 
on his strong and enlightened intellect : and with 
what candour, always indicative of a great 
mind, he frankly bowed to the Bible doctrine, 
as now explained. 

" Now follow, my dear children, as I pro- 
ceed. — The doctrine I speak of, receives the 
clearest support and illustration from Romans, 
Ch. v. 12 — 19. 'By one man,' — not by 
every man, as if on every one had been put 
his own actual responsibility ; but, — * by one 
man sin entered into the world ; and death by 
sin ; so death passed upon all men, for in him,' 
— mark that, my Charles ; I refer you to your 
Greek Testament, « «£' «,' — in him, that is, — in 



96 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

Adam, have all sinned.'-— Again, — i By one 
man's offence, death reigned by oxe.' ver. 17. 
Had each man stood, and fallen for himself, and 
had no share in Adam's guilt, by what possi- 
ble twisting can it be charged on the human 
family, that by one maw's offence, death reign- 
ed by owe V 

" By no means," — cried Charles, and David, 
and their mother ; while the other members of 
the group seemed to sympathize heartily in 
their plain, common sense explanation, saying, 
— " Nothing can be clearer." 

" But, hear me farther : ' By one man's dis- 
obedience, many were made sinners.' v. 19. 
This 'made^l beg you, Charles, to take notice, 
means made by a legal act, that is, legally con- 
stituted sinners ; that is, declared in law, equity, 
and justice, to be sinners, in Adam, as they 
were ix him their substitute, represented by 
him, and consequently, they really sinned in 
him. Hence the sin being theirs, it is by law 
and equity, imputed to them. They are, thence. 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION, 97 

made, and declared to be sinners, before the 
Judge of all the earth. 

" I shall call your attention, my dear children, 
to one evidence more. I hope, my dear little 
ones, I am not detaining you too long." 

"Not at all, dear father, go on." 

" Well, Joseph, I see you are the only one be- 
traying impatience. Shall I go on V* 

" Why, Pa, I don't know, but I have been 
1 awfully impatient,' as the gardener says 
sometimes, to get a hold of that humming bird, 
and that great, speckled Bohemian butterfly. 
There, there, now, the humming bird is in my 
cage, I have pulled the string ! There, dear 
Pa, all's right, go on." 

The whole group burst into a loud laugh ; 
the parents smiled. Joseph looked up to his 
father with fear, as an offender would. 

" I can perfectly excuse you, my little Joseph, 

while I feel satisfied that the most of you, my 

dear ones, have followed me. We should be 

very unreasonable," continued Mr. T. to his 

10 



98 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

wife, "if, my dear, we should expect our 
youngest ones to follow us, in such discussions. 
We should, moreover, commit a fault, if we were 
angry at these sallies. We must remember, 
however, that the young mind can really take 
up the leading doctrines of our salvation, much 
sooner than many do believe. And it is only 
by constant, persevering, and good-natured in- 
struction, that we can lead our dear ones on 
from the first, and most simple truths, to these 
all important doctrines, now occupying our at- 
tention. ' Crescit eundo !' my dear; ' Crescit 
eundo /' Knowledge grows by ever moving 
onward ; and coaxing, and sweetly persuading, 
will do much in achieving a triumph ; where im- 
patience and driving will cause disgust and de- 
feat. Now, come, my darling Joseph, and you, 
little Amelia, I am going to tell you about God's 
dealing with infants," 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 99 



CHAPTER IV. 

« O Death 
None can escape thee ! In thy dungeon house 
Thou sat'st, from age to age, insatiate, 
And drank'st the blood of men, and gorged their flesh, 
And with thine iron teeth, didst grind their bones 
To powder, treading out, beneath thy feet, 
Their very names and memories. 

The infant's blood 
Pleased well thy taste ; and while the mother wept, 
Bereaved by thee, lonely and waste in woe, 
Thy ever grinding jaws devoured her too !" Pollok. 

" The mortifying doctrine of our original 
sin is proved, and illustrated by the dispensa- 
tions of Almighty God to infants ; and their 
moral dispositions toward Almighty God." 

The children were instantly all attention, 
and Joseph climbed on one knee of his father, 
and Amelia on the other, while Joseph lisped 
out in his father's ear, — " I do not care one 
penny about that great, speckled butterfly now ; 
Papa, go on, and tell us about what God does to 
little infants, like 'Melie and me." 



100 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

Mr. T. — " You must have frequently observed, 
my dear children, the moral character mani- 
fested by your youngest brothers and sisters. 
You have witnessed, in many instances, the 
ebullitions of human depravity, even before 
reason, yes, even before reason enabled them 
to imitate a bad example. They have be- 
trayed anger, petulence, malice, passion, re- 
venge, in a painful manner, even before they 
ever heard of such things, or could know the 
meaning and nature of them ; or could imitate 
them in a bad example. Before they ever heard 
of, or saw greediness, and a covetous spirit, they 
have developed them in their moral character. 
Look now, and I will show you an illustration 
of this. You see little Jamie, there, the garden- 
er's son ; a boy that has not lived more than a 
few years. Well, you all know that that child 
never saw any example of grasping covetous- 
ness, or a greedy spirit, either in his father, or in 
his mother. And he is not a whit worse, than 
any one of you, my children, when at his age. 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATIO?i". 101 

Come hither, Jamie," continued Mr. T., taking 
some large yellow apples out of his pocket' 
and offering the little fellow one of them. 
" Come, Jamie, and take an apple." He 
grasped it hastily with both hands, it was too 
large for one hand. 

" Come hither, Jamie, and take another 
apple." He eagerly grasped it, as if he had 
not already got one, and secured both between 
his hands in his bosom. 

" Here, Jamie, take another," continued Mr. 
T., holding out another large apple. Jamie 
made a strong effort to seize it. But he had 
no hand to hold it ; yet he struggled to get it 
up between his chin and his bosom. In this 
effort, he dropped one of them which he had 
already got. In endeavouring to retain the 
third one, and regain the lost one, he dropped 
another. He threw himself on his knees, and 
struggled manfully to recover the two ; in tnis 
effort, he strove to secure the third apple, 
#faich Mr. T. had dropped before him. He 
10* 



102 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

was puzzled which to secure first ; and in this 
indecisive attempt, he could raise none of 
them ; for he would not rise up with less than 
all three ! Failing in the resolution, he be- 
came so vexed, that he burst into tears, while 
he still had an apple in each hand ! 

" Now, who taught that fine little fellow, 
this grasping and self-appropriating spirit of 
the miserly man of the world ? Why did he 
so greedily seek the second apple, when he saw 
so many, near him, who had none ? Why not 
insist most generously, that he should be the 
last to take any 1 Wiry not insist on dividing, 
and sharing with those around him, the last 
fraction of what was given him 1 You see, 
that the infant there, showed nothing more nor 
less, than what ten thousand grown up, and old 
white-headed men — infants of the world — are 
doing every hour of every day ! But who 
taught him by example ? Nobody taught him. 
He never in his life saw the example in his fa- 
ther's retired cottage. He never was among 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION, 103 

knaves and covetous men ; he never heard of 
Wall Street in his life ! On the contrary, he 
had continually witnessed his mother liberally 
giving away milk, bread, and vegetables, to the 
poor who came to the door. 

" Besides, my children, if men have no such 
depravity in infancy, then they must grant me 
this — that if depravity come by example and 
imitation, so, of course, must also conversion, and 
generous benevolence, without the aid of grace, 
come also into children's, and young people's 
minds and practice, by the example of pious 
parents, and the imitation of godly practices : 
and that, too, as extensively in the one case, as 
in the other ! But this, we all see, is by no 
means the case. 

" But, my children, this is not my main 
argument, on this point. 

" You cannot but remember our own dear 
little Jamie ; and also your sweet little brother 
Thomas." 

" Yes, dear Pa ; we ail remember them ; it 



104 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

is now a year since we saw them fall asleep ; 
and, then, they were put into their snow-white 
shrouds, and their little coffins, and they were 
then put into the dark, deep grave. It was a 
bitter cold, snowy day when we wept, and 
shivered at the grave, as the man put the wet 
earth over the little coffins of Jamie, and 
Tommy." 

" Well, my darlings, you saw Jamie and 
Thomas suffer more pain and distress, than 
you ever saw me, or your dear mother suffer. 
They moaned and sobbed ; they were convulsed 
in every limb ; they groaned and pined away, 
and then died ! Our little Jamie, sweet babe, 
expired in the agony of a convulsive fit. And 
millions just as 6 innocent,' as they were, in re- 
spect to actual sins, have been, in like manner, 
in distress, and have died in distressing agonies. 

" Now, why is it that they die ? If they 
have no original sin and guilt, how can they 
have the terrible punishment of death inflicted 
on them, by Him who is very just, and cannot 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 105 

do wrong 1 It is certain that these little babes 
had no actual sin. But they cannot die with- 
out some sin. For death does not come on us, 
because we are made of dust. Not at all, my 
dears ; for God can make dust immortal, as well 
as spirit. Nay, he does make the dust of our 
bodies immortal. For, from the last day, he will 
make our dust-made bodies immortal, like our 
souls. Nothing is more expressly taught, in 
your Bibles, than this — that we die, because 
we are sinners — not because we are made of 
dust. I call on you, Charles, for the proof of 
this out of your Bible. I must sweep away, 
even the appearance of a doubt here from 
your young minds." 

Charles. — " * The wages of sin is death,' 
Sir ; and this is just the conclusion drawn from 
the narrative of Adam's sin and fall. Because 
he and Eve had sinned, therefore, God said to 
them, each, ' Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt 
thou return.' And this again, was just tho 
literal fulfilment of the threatening in the pe- 



106 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

nalty of the covenant of works, — * In the day 
thou eatest thereof/ that is, in the day that thou 
rebellest and sinnest against me, < thou shalt 
surely die.' " 

Father. — " You quote and reason correctly, 
Charles. And here is the conclusion ; divine 
justice cannot permit an innocent being to die. 
But unnumbered infants die ; hence, they have 
sin and guilt. But none can charge them with 
actual sin and guilt ; hence, it must be the sin 
6 by our nature,' or, original sin." 

Charles. — " But, Pa, death comes to them, as 
some say, merely as a sweet guide and friend, 
to take them to heaven. How can it be a pu- 
nishment, then?" 

Father. — " My dear boy, I must warn you 
that those who hold this doctrine, do err exceed- 
ingly, not knowing the Scriptures. They un- 
wittingly confound the consequences of death, 
with the pains and agonies of death. The 
consequences, or, results of death, are made 
great and everlasting blessings to infants. For 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 107 

I believe that they are, through the blood of our 
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, received imme- 
diately into heaven. But death itself, I speak 
of its pains, and horrors, and agonies. No 
man in his sober reason, as I should judge, 
could reckon death, with all its pains and 
horrid agonies, a real blessing. 

" Our poor neighbor, John Farnham, as you 
all remember, was so badly hurt, that he had to 
submit to have a leg, and an arm taken off by 
the surgeon. Now, I ask you, my dears, was it 
the consequence and result of the cutting 
off of his limbs, that saved his life ; or was it 
the horrid pain and agony of the act of ampu- 
tation that saved him ?" 

Children. — "Why, it must have been the 
consequence of his losing his limbs ; and not the 
agony endured in cutting them off." " For 
the preventing of mortification, 5 ' continued 
Charles, ? was the result of his losing his 
limbs. The pain of cutting them off could 
not stop the mortification. The latter was a 



103 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION, 

dreadful punishment to poor John ; but the 
former saved his life. This, I think, quite clear. 
He must have very little wit, who would main- 
tain that the horror, and agony, and punish- 
ment of amputation, are real blessings !" 

Father. — " I thank you, Charles ; and it is 
exactly so with death, my children. The Holy 
Bible declares it, and threatens it as a curse, 
real and appalling. The Most High who 
inflicts it, has expressly said so. 6 The wages 
of sin is death.' Now, then, my dear ones, can 
any pervert that threatening of God, and con- 
vert it into a blessing, by making it to read, 
< The blessing bestowed upon sin, is death V 

" Hence, as certainly as infants suffer pain, 
and agonies, and death itself, the consummation 
of the curse — so certainly are they guilty of sin 
in the eyes of their pure and holy Maker. But, 
as I have just been saying to you, and I beg to 
repeat it, infants have not committed an overt 
act of sin, by ' voluntary action.' In reference 
to actual sin, and personal transgression, they 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 109 

are as innocent as ; the lamb that never touched 
the grass.' But the infant dies ; it dies in 
Adam ; f sin is the wages of death/ Hence, 
it sinned in Adam. Most manifestly, then, is 
the fact of original sin proved, and established 
by God's most holy dispensation towards infants. 

" This, I would briefly add, is the principle 
recognized in the eternal and moral law of the 
second commandment. ' God visits the iniquity 
of the fathers upon the children.' And it is 
carried out in the natural world in God's holy 
Providence. The profligacy, and bodily dis- 
eases of wicked parents, are visited upon the 
children, in their pining away in poverty, 
hunger, starvation, exposures, and diseases, and 
early death ! So strongly is this painful and 
mortifying, but most true doctrine, fixed upon 
the eternal base of truth, in God's word, in 
God's law, and in God's providence." 

Amelia. — " Well, Pa, I think I understand 
you ; and as often as I suffer pain, or see little 
sister, and brother Joseph suffer great pains, I 
11 



110 THE NECESSITY OF SALWVflOX. 

shall always remember that £&is is a proof that 
we all sinned, and fell, and died in Adam, as 
well as brother Joseph's sallies of ; human de- 
pravity, 5 as I think you called it, Pa.' 5 

u Come, come, 'Melie," cried little Joseph, 
" don 5 t remind me, and I won't remind you. of 
your sallies of depravity. But, come, a kiss for 
a blow ! My dear Ma taught me that new 
thing, as she sung me a little sweet song, on her 
lap — -come, 5 Melie, a kiss for a blow Z 55 And he 
threw his little arms about Amelia, and kissed 
her. 

" God be praised, my dear boy. that old Adam 
is getting subdued already, before the melting 
power of the love of the second Adam, the 
Lord Jesus, in you. But, come, 1 have reserved 
my last argument, on this subject, to try you 
all. For, I assure you, I shall be but poorly 
satisfied with the close attentions, and progress 
in knowledge, of all of you, who have come to 
the years of understanding, in some measure, at 
least, if you do not really feel in your own 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION 111 

souls, and hearts, this mortifying truth, which 
I have been trying to press on your earnest at- 
tention," 



112 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 



CHAPTER V. 

-'-' The voice within, the voice of God, that nought 
Could bribe tosl?ep. though steeped in sorceries 
Of hell, and much abused by whisperings 
Of evil spirits in the dark, announced 
A day of judgment, and a judge — a day 
Of misery, or of bliss." Pollok. 

" Now, all of you, look at me. I ask you 
each one, just to review the history of one 
day's thoughts, affections, and passions. Have 
you, my dear children, each, from the time you 
opened your eyes this morning, always thought 
upon God? One delinquency here, will be 
enough to condemn you, my dear ones ! Have 
you always been loving God unceasingly ? 
One failure here, is enough to condemn you ! 
Have you always, each one of you, loved your 
little brothers, and sisters, and parents, as you 
love yourself? One failure here, my dear ones, 
is a sin enough to condemn you ! Have you 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 113 

always loved your neighbour, as yourself? One 
failure here, may condemn you, my children ! 
Do )^ou love to be good, and holy, in that manner 
as I have often explained to you, out of the 
Bible ? One error here, will condemn you ! 
Do you love God, because he is holy, and pure, 
and just, as well as good to you ? One mistake 
here, will condemn you, my dear children ! Do 
you feel, and give way to no wandering thoughts 
and evil imaginations? One bad indulgence 
in these, will condemn you ! Have you in- 
dulged in no vile desires, in no wicked fancies, 
and in no impure wishes ? One delinquency 
here, will condemn you, my dear ones ! Have 
you, each, a sincere desire to glorify God, with 
all your heart, and all your soul, and all your 
mind, and all your strength ? One failure here, 
will be fatal to you, my very dear children- 
Have you loved your enemies, and prayed for 
them who spitefully abuse you ? One single 
failure here, is a breach of the whole law of 
love, and is enough to condemn you, my dears ! 
11* 



114 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

Have you hated any in your heart, and wished 
their death ? Ah ! ; He that hateth his brother 
is a murderer, and no murderer hath eternal 
life abiding in him/ One error here, will 
condemn you for ever and ever !" 

" Stop, stop, Pa ! ; ' cried all the children in 
terror and distress, while little Joseph was 
among the loudest, professing that he would not, 
if the Lord will, quarrel any more with his 
little brothers and sisters, nor brawl again. 

u Ah !" said the mother, in a soft, plaintive 
voice, ;> who can stand up before the Almighty, 
and plead not guilty before Hr>i, who ■ is of 
purer eyes than to look upon sin ; and who 
cannot behold it, but with abhorrence !' Ah ! 
my dear children, what will you, what can you 
do, when you are summoned to the bar of the 
Holy One ? Enter not into judgment with us, 
O Lord. But impress upon our minds, one and 

all, the ABSOLUTE NECESSITY OF SALVATION, to 

be prepared to meet thee." 

F. — " But, we shall resume this again, my 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 115 

dear ones ; business now calls me away. 
Meantime your dear mother will conduct you 
into the garden, to stroll among the flowers, 
until the dinner bell shall summon us together 
again. Charles, conduct your mother, and lead 
the way : adieu ! My blessings on you all, my 
dears ! Little Joseph, remember your vow ; 
and see that you keep 'Melie, and all the rest, in 
good order." 

"Adieu, Pa," cried Joseph. " See if I don't 
present you the prettiest and sweetest of all 
the flowers ! For I love you, Pa, more than any 
of them all, don't I ? He smiled, Ma, as he 
looked back on me ; and a silent smile, you 
know, as you told me once, dear Ma, is a mark 
of love and approval. Your Joseph won't be 
a bad boy, Ma." 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION, 



SHOWN FROM 



THE' CONSEQUENCES OF OUR FALL IN ADAM. 



PART III. 

CHAPTER I. 



1 So bad was sin; 



"So lost, so ruined, so depraved was man, 

Created first in God's own image fair !" Pollok. 

u Dear Ma, what can keep our father so long 
away ?" said little Joseph, as the children had 
every one assembled, at the appointed hour, un- 
der the great elm, near the shore, where the 
pleasure boat is usually hauled up. 

" Have patience, my love," replied Mrs. 
Torwood ; " your father will soon come ; he 
named the hour himself; and at that hour, if God 
so wills it, and the wind favouring, he will come." 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 117 

" There he comes," cried Charles, just as the 
children were beginning to separate, and scat- 
ter over the lawn—" there, he has just cleared 
the Neck." Mr. Torwood stood up, and waved 
his handkerchief; and the whole group joyfully 
returned the signal, with a hearty cheer. The 
boat, with its little white sail, bounded over the 
waves, like an eagle skimming over a plain ; 
and in a few minutes the father stood in the 
midst of the happy group. 

" I can say with the English statesman, 
Edmund Burke," said Mr. T., as his eye re- 
turned the kind regards and sweet congratula- 
tions of the mother of his children ; and as he 
embraced each of the little prattlers, " ' I feel 
every care gone the moment I reach my home.' " 

" And yet, my dear," replied his wife, " your 
looks betray your anxiety, in the midst of this 
sweet flattery. I fear you were too late to 
save your friend." 

" Indeed I was too late, my dear. I found 
myself only in time to see him conducted by 



IIS THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

his only surviving relative, to the London 
packet; on board of which he has embarked. 
with the miserable remnant of his once splendid 
estates. It was too much for his delicate wife 
to endure. She sunk under the stroke ; and all 
that is mortal of that lovely Christian, now 
sleeps with the dust of her fathers in the church- 
yard of Bankhead, 

u And, now. Charles.*' continued the father, 
after a long silence, in which busy memory 
brought back many painful scenes, to their re- 
membrance. — ='*' here we have another illustra- 
tion given us, by Divine Providence, of that 
doctrine, which I have been so anxious to 
impress on every mind here. Our beloved 
friend, with whom I have parted, is the grand- 
son of one of the brave officers, who stood by the 
side of the immortal father of his country, Wash- 
ington, in the days of war, and the dc -ace, 
The family estates passed from tins officer, with 
several heavy mortgages, into the hands of his 
sen, and thence, into the hands of his grandson, 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION, 119 

Partly by mismanagement and partly by adverse 
circumstances, the debt accumulated ; interest 
was added to the principal ; and soon the com- 
pound interest made it overwhelming. The 
mortgages were foreclosed ; and my poor friend 
will land on a foreign shore, almost penny less, 
though not friendless. 

"But, suppose now, Charles," continued Mr. 
T. with a smile, " he had gone into court, and 
demanded the inheritance of his fathers back 
again. What a strong plea could he have set 
up, — 6 He never gave his consent, in any shape, 
or form 9 to that bond, and that mortgage ; he 
never put his hand and seal, to that instrument, 
he can have no more to do with his grandfather's 
debt, than with the first sin of Adam. All debt, 
like all sin, lies in ' voluntary action ;' that 
could not, therefore, be his debt; for, by no 
voluntary action, did he ever make it his debt. ' 
Suppose, now, Charles, you and I go forthwith 
into court, and secure the services of the mos^ 
learned lawyer in the republic, to enforce this 



120 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

overwhelming plea ! What a delicious surprise, 
I and you, dear Charles, should give my poor 
dear friend, by presenting his recovered estate 
to him, and his motherless children !" 

Charles. — " Alas ! Pa, it won't do ; I believe 
in no such absurdities. A man may try to 
rid his conscience of his original guilt, by 
this kind of process. But depend on it, the 
civil law will not set him free from his debt, 
contracted by his ancestors without his < volun- 
tary action !' But, Father, we remind you of 
your promise of some farther delightful con- 
ferences, On THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

And, now, that we have reached the cool shade 
of this charming arbour, let us sit down here. 
I shall nurse little Joseph ; and 'Melie will recline 
on her mother's lap." 

" Most gladly, my Charles," said Mr. T., as 
he took his seat on the grassy sofa. And, 
uncovering his head, he uttered this brief prayer 
to the God of all their mercies, — " O Lord, that 
which we see not, teach thou us. Convince 



THE NECESSITY OT SALVATION. 121 

every one of us, here before thee, of sin, of 
righteousness, and of the judgment to come, 

E JO 

And. Lord, gather us. and all our dear little 
lambs here, into the fold of the Good Shepherd 
of Israel. And. oh! grant us. we do most 
humbly beseech thee, our Heavenly Father, 
this favour of thy rich grace, that no one of us 
be a in the company of the ransomed, 

he »reat day of our Lord : and thine shall 
be the glory for ever. Amen. 

•• Follow me, now, my dear ones, as I enu- 
merate the many, and awful consequences, 
of our fall in Adam, the truth of which. I trust 
I fully proved to you on a former occasion. 
The consequences are named in two words, 
six. and misery. 

•• Under ihenrst of these, I place, as the first 

here, that which has been formerly exhibited, the 

guilt of Adam's first sin. This, as I have showed 

ta on us. because we were in Adam, as 

riiant head. So the word of the Lord 

u esit : ' In Adam all die.' Guilt is the cause 

12 



122 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

of death. Hence we are involved in his guilt. 
And this guilt being ours, it is imputed to us, in 
allGod's dealings with us as Adam's descendants. 

" The second consequence is this ; — we have 
sustained the forfeiture, and the utter loss of 
the divine image. This we have proved to you 
already. We are begotten ' in the image and 
likeness of Adam.' ' We are shapen in sin, 
and conceived in iniquity.' " 

Charles. — " Does God make us, and create us 
sinners, then ? Can God, in any way, be the 
author of sin, or of our sinful nature ?" 

Father. — " A single explanation will enable 
you, Charles, to apprehend this truth, which 
we do very firmly believe. When God created 
Adam, he acted then simply as a Creator ; and 
he made man after his own pure and lovely 
image. When the Almighty creates man now, 
and since the days of Adam, he acts in a double 
character, and relation to us. He acts as a 
Creator, and as a Judge. As a Creator, he 
gives us all our physical, and moral powers of 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 123 

body and of soul. As a Judge, he sits in 
equity, and denies us that image of God, which 
we, by treason, wantonly threw away, and there- 
fore, forfeited and lost. He creates us under an 
absence of the image of God; and as a Judge, 
moreover, he imputes to us that guilt in which 
our apostacy involved us. This is perfectly 
reasonable and just. God is under no obliga- 
tion to continue to us that which we wickedly 
threw away, and forfeited. Are the present 
owners of our friend's estate, which has been 
alienated and lost by the debts of his ancestors, 
under any obligations to restore it to him ? 
No, indeed. Hence, by no construction of our 
doctrine, can the Holy One be represented as 
the author of our sinful nature. You might as 
reasonably say, that the law of the land is the 
sinful cause of our poor friend being deprived 
of the possession of his estates, which were sold 
on account of the unliquidated debt of his grand- 
father, It was debt, not the law, nor the author 
of the law — but debt alone, which was the 



124 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

cause of the alienation, and loss of all his 
possessions. 

" Thirdly : Another result of our fall, is the 
corruption of our whole nature. Human depra- 
vity is universal and total. It is universal, my 
children, because, as we have already seen, not 
a human being, on the face of the whole globe, 
in any age, has been found guiltless, innocent, 
and pure. It is total, because no faculty has es- 
caped the total ravage. ' The whole head is sick ; 
the whole heart is faint ; from the sole of the 
foot, even unto the head, there is no soundness 
in it.' 

"Fourthly: We are, of consequence, involved 
in the guilt of innumerable actual sins. I have 
here to remind you, my dear children, of the 
questions I put to the conscience of each of you, 
the other day, and to the responses prompted 
by the conscience of each, in proof of this. I 
have also to remind you of the testimony of 
God's holy word : i Man is poor, and miserable, 
and blind, and naked.' 6 There is none right- 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 125 

eous, no, not one.' And this painful, and morti- 
fying testimony of conscience, and of Scripture, 
is fully confirmed, and very awfully exhibited^ 
in the history of our species, and in the world 
around you. What evil thoughts and imagina- 
tions ! What revolting profaneness ! What 
horrid blasphemy! What crimes, and violence, 
and atrocious deeds of cruelty and pollution, 
have covered cur world, as with the waves of a 
Dead Sea, sweeping over us ! What is history, 
but a revolting detail of ambition, avarice, ty- 
ranny, covetousness, cruelty, and all manner of 
rebellion against the laws of God, and of man ! 
Open a daily newspaper ; how many revolt- 
ing crimes are perpetrated every day, and 
every hour, and every minute, in the human 
family ! Now, my children, as every sin de- 
serves God's wrath and curse ; what must the 
amount of one day's guilt deserve ? O, what 
must the whole amount of a world's centuries 
of guilt deserve, at the hands of the Just and Al- 
mighty Oxe ! 

12* 



1 26 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

" AJifth consequence, let me place before you, 
my dear ones. It is this : — All men are, in 
their natural state, in a state of positive con- 
demnation. The sentence is gone forth from 
the throne of spotless justice. We are actually 
prisoners, lying in the cells ; chained, incapable 
of flight ! Go where we may, we still stand 
in the presence of an angry, just, and Almighty 
Judge. Reason and Scripture determine this. 
Hear what reason says. Every sin is open 
before the all-seeing eyes of God. He cannot 
be, for a moment, indifferent to it. He will 
either approve, or disapprove of it. He cannot 
approve it, He therefore condemns it. There- 
fore, we sinners are all positively under con- 
demnation. 

" Then hear out of the testimony of the Lord ; 
6 He that believeth not, is condemned already. ' 
The conclusion is irresistible. Unless a pardon 
reach us, poor condemned criminals, we must 
perish as certainly and as necessarily as God 
is just. Unless a pardon reach us, we must 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 127 

perish ; for God never says one thing, and does 
another. God never utters sentence, without 
executing it, either on the principal, or the 

SURETY. 

" A sixth consequence is this : All mankind, 
being fallen creatures, are under the dominion 
and tyranny of Satan, This is one of the 
awful mysteries of religion, for the knowledge 
of which, we are indebted to the Holy Bible. 
And whosoever keeps not within this sacred 
record, be he a simple man, or philosopher, will 
commit egregious errors. Let me lead you, 
then, my children, directly to the Bible. In 
1 Peter v. 8, how read you V* 

Charles lifted his Bible, and read as follows : 
"Your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, 
walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." 

" Now read to us out of Ephes. ii, 2." Charles 
proceeded with these words : " The prince of the 
power of the air, the spirit that now worketh 
in the children of disobedience." 



129 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION, 

"Ah! my dear little ones," said Mr. T., 
with much solemnity, " how dreadful the condi- 
tion of all men, who are still lingering in their 
unconverted state ; wholly under the dominion 
and tyranny of the master spirit of hell, and his 
legions of demons ! And yet, such is his terrific 
power over man, how little alarm does this 
create to him !" 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 129 



CHAPTER II. 

" And there were groans which ended not, and sighs 
That always sighed, and tears that ever wept, 
And ever fell, but not in mercy's sight," 

Pollok. 

" Under the second general result, namely, 
our state of Misery, I reckon — 

" First : Our loss of communion with God. 
He is far from us, and we have wandered far 
from him. We see him in nature ; but his 
1 back parts' are towards us ; we see not his 
face. We hear him in his thunder ; and in 
his roaring storms, and gentler voices of his 
creation. But, he speaks not to us. There is an 
awful, and mournful silence to us, poor sinners. 
All communion is cut off, until it be renewed 
in the holy dispensation of love and mercy, by 
a substitute." 

"Second: We are under his wrath and curse. 
We are sinners ; he is wroth with us, — that is, 
his pure justice goes forth against us to consume 



130 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

us, as his fire, in nature, consumes the dry stub- 
ble, unless the hand of Him who is mighty to 
save, is stretched out in mercy to save us. 

" Third : We are made liable to every misery 
that awaits guilty suffering humanity in this 
world. I call to your remembrance the scenes 
detailed to you, my children, by Charles, — the 
results of our late excursion. These are the 
mournful consequences of the fall. We see 
them, we hear of them, we feel them ! 

u Fourth ; We are. my dear ones, subjected to 
the fearful stroke of death. This is a terrible 
enemy. It cuts us off from all sweet friends. 
It cuts us off from all our earthly joys. It in- 
flicts on us an indescribable and intolerable 
pain. You know how we shudder at the very 
thought of having a limb cut off by the surgeon. 
Ah ! my dears, what must the shock be to have 
body and soul torn asunder ! Nor is that all, — 
it is not all of death to die ! Only think of the 
terrific and most appalling consequences of 
death ! Without salvation, Death comes upon 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 131 

us as an armed enemy, to drag us, without 
pity, or sympathy, to the bar of Divine Justice ; 
and to a horrid death, — the second death ! 
Hence the last result is this : — our liability to 
the pains of hell for ever. Hell is the banish- 
ment from God, and from life, and friends, and 
joy, and even hope, for ever and ever ! Hell 
is the place where the acutest pains are inflict- 
ed on soul, and on body. These pains usually 
shadowed forth under the similies of fire, — of 
fire and brimstone ; of fire blown into fierce- 
ness by the breath of a just Judge ; as fire 
burning ever intensely, and more intensely, for 
ever and ever. 

" And here learn a new lesson, my dear chil- 
dren. In hell the doomed victim of impeni- 
tence continues to sin more, and more, inces- 
santly. There is no power in the future world 
that is able, or willing, to stop the everlasting 
downward course of sin. The abandoned pro- 
fligate in this world, has neither the disposition, 
nor capacity, nor power, to cease from sinning. 



132 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

He has no will, nor wish to do so. And 
what ground, then, is there to believe that he 
will have either the will, or the poice?*, to arrest 
the course of sin in him ? When under all the 
moral influence of the means of salvation, he 
neither would do it, nor could do it, — how can 
it be supposed that he can effect this, when cut 
off, for ever, from all the means of Divine grace, 
and all the calls, and invitations of Divine and 
melting love ! ' His tears for ever fall, — but 
not in mercy's sight!' No reflecting man can 
suppose that fierce pain, and the horrid assaults 
of the most unrelenting enemies in hell, can, out 
of nothing, produce true faith and penitence. 
There is in the land of despair no more any 
offer of Christ to the souls of men. Hence 
the object of it being for ever removed, — saving 
faith is not known, nor its consolations felt 
there. And mere pain, even of the intensest 
kind, and long protracted, can never commu- 
nicate a new heart, or awaken to life a holy 
disposition ; or create a capacity and a will to 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 133 

return to God. Pain and torment can convey 
no new principle, or life. The terrific strokes 
of pure justice can awaken no love. Oh ! no, 
no. It only agitates, and draws forth the evil 
principles within ; and rouses them into fierce 
action. The pain of the martyr sends him, in 
holy praises, nearer to Christ's throne in faith 
and submission, and obedience. For, they stir 
up the holy life in him. On the contrary, the 
pains of hell, resting on an impenitent sinner 
drive out his soul into fiercer hatred, and sin, 
and blasphemy, in a reckless degree ! — Hence, 
there is a perfect knowledge of human nature 
strongly marked out in that testimony of the 
Bible, on this point, in Revel, xvi. 10, M. 
6 And they gnawed their tongues for pain ; and 
blasphemed the God of heaven, because of their 
pains, and their sores J Here is sound philoso* 
phy, which the errorist has not learned, and 
cannot comprehend. For it gives the lie to all 
his theories and prejudices. 

" And, my children, let me, with deep solem- 
13 



134 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

nity, here add to this mournful list of human 
miseries. — that we have neither the will, nor 
the power to extricate ourselves from this pre- 
sent condition. We have. I grant, all the 
powers of the soul ; but there is a spiritual and 
paralyzing death in them. Hear the testimony 
of God Almighty, ■ We are dead in trespasses, 
and sins.' We have, alas ! not the will even 
to attempt it. Our Saviour has settled this 
point.— ; Ye will not come unto me. 5 And we 
have not the power to do it. We want the spi- 
ritual power; and by -natural powers, we can no 
more do spiritual actions, than we can, with 
our natural eyes, see invisible spirits ! This 
utter and mournful inability- is also clearly set- 
tled by the testimony of God, in spite of all our 
usual prejudices, Hear this testimony, my 
darlings, and yield your faith to God. It is 
this: •' To do good we have no knowledge.' 
< No man can come UNTO me, except the Fa- 
ther who sent me, draw him.' John vi. 44. 
I charge vou. Charles, to fix these ever memo- 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 135 

rable words in deepest remembrances of the 
heart and memory. You see, now, my dear 
ones, that it is quite evident that we are utterly 
lost, unless we find ourselves in holy union with 
Him who is •' mighty to save,' and who will 
' work in us both to will, and to do of his 
good pleasure.' But, here, let me pause. I 
must not burden your young minds, elastic 
though they be, with a too heavy, and a too 
long tax on your attention and time. Adieu 
for the present : away to your youthful amuse- 
ments : Charles will lead the wav." 



136 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION, 



CHAPTER III. 

" Weigh good with evil, balance right with wrong; 
With virtue vice compare, hatred with love ; 
God's holiness, God's justice, and God's truth 
Deliberately and cautiously compare 
With sinful, wicked, vile, rebellious man ; 
And see if thou can'st punish sin, and let 
Mankind go free. " 

Next day, the happy group met on the sunny 
bank, under the lofty elm : the children being 
delighted to hear, and the parents prepared to 
gratify them with the pleasing details. Mr. 
Torwood began :— " Now, my dear children, we 
have arrived at a point in our instructions, 
which I am very anxious to impress on your 
young minds. 

" From what has been shown you, I trust, it 
is very evident, that, unless the guilt of original 
sin, and the guilt of all our actual sins, be taken 
away, we never can enter into the kingdom of 
heaven. That unendurable load will sink us 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 137 

into ' the bottomless pit :' we shall sink, and for 
ever sink ; — the pit has no bottom ! 

" I have shown you, what you, and all other 
sinners are, in the presence of God. Lift up, 
now your eyes to God, and see what he is. His 
justice keeps watch at the gate of heaven : it 
demands reparation due to the law, and the 
holy government of God. It is a devouring 
fire. It consumes the guilty who approach it, 
just as certainly, and as necessarily, as the 
raging flames consume the dry stubble that is 
swept into them. Then, behold, there is God's 
supreme holiness, that also keeps watch at the 
gate of heaven. It declares that nothing that 
is polluted and filthy, can enter there. Sup- 
pose a detestable and abominable criminal, 
overwhelmed with the atrocious guilt, and pol- 
lution of countless crimes, in rags and filth, 
were to approach a company of virtuous and 
holy people — suppose such a vile, polluted 
being were to approach an assembly of pure 
spirits, and angels in heaven — how would he 
13* 



133 THE XE-CESSITY OF SALVATION. 

be received ? Overpowered by the flood of 
light and glory, and overwhelmed by his own 
vileness, he would recede, and fly from them as 
from the fiercest gleams of the lightning of 
heaven. Infinitely less could he approach the 
throne of justice and holiness ! ' For our 
God is a consuming fire.' There, too, keep 
watch at the gate of heaven, the divine faith- 
fulness, and omnipotence, and all the glory 
of the divine attributes, which are inaccessible 
by sinful man. 

" Now, my children, who can remove the 
load of his guilt? Who can meet the over- 
whelming claims of justice on account of it 1 
Who can remove the hard heart, and give 
himself a new heart 1 Who can take unto him 
nitre and much soap, and wash himself in snow 
water, and make himself clean enough to meet 
the eyes of infinite purity ?" 

Charles. — " But, Father, will not God give 
us a gratuitous pardon ?" 

Father. — " Yes, my dear ; God pardons in 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 139 

rich grace. But let me beg your earnest at- 
tention here. A criminal among men may ob- 
tain a pardon from the Executive. But a hu- 
man pardon is always granted and given at 
the expense of justice, and the righteous claims 
of law. In fact, every human pardon of the 
guilty criminal, is the positive suspension of 
law and justice, for the time ! Now, no such 
pardon can be issued in God's government. 
There ' is forgiveness with him.' But it is for- 
giveness vouchsafed in such a manner, that 
'he may be feared.' God will not, and his ho- 
nour cannot pardon any one at the expense of 
his justice. If we shall ever obtain a pardon, 
it must be only in a manner as satisfactory, and 
honourable to divine justice, as to divine mercy 
itself. 

" Hence, my children, no pardon can be 
looked for, from the just and righteous Ruler of 
the world, but such as shall come as much 
from the throne of justice, and be uttered on 
us, by justice, as from the throne of grace. 



140 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

Yes, my dear children, 6 truth must meet with 
mercy :' justice, righteousness, and peace must 
mutually embrace each other ; honouring, and 
being honoured, before all heaven, and all on 
earth, and all in hell ! 

" Therefore, as I trust you clearly see — no 
pardon can come to us without the most per- 
fect satisfaction rendered to divine justice. 
And divine justice must be admitted to be sole 
judge of what is satisfactory. Yes : divine 
justice alone can be allowed to say — c It is 
finished.' 

" This is not all, my children. An entire 
freedom from the pollution of sin, is in all 
respects, as necessary to our salvation, as is a 
pardon for our guilt. Listen to me : you 
must all understand this. You all remember 
that bad man, who robbed the mail, and commit- 
ted various enormities ; and finally, was guilty 
of murder. By some means or other, he ob- 
tained a pardon, at the expense of law and 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 141 

equity. He was turned loose on society, to 
roam at large." 

Children. — " Oh ! we saw him : he was at 
our door, last week." 

Father. — " Well, my dear ones, he was par- 
doned by the Executive : he was set free from 
the pains of death. But, follow him from 
house to house ; is he admitted to visit any 
decent family ? Does any good citizen ad- 
mit him to his table ; or to mingle with his sons 
or daughters 1 Xo : he is shunned as vile, and 
polluted, and loathsome. The pardon has re- 
laxed the punishment of death. But that pardon, 
as you perceive, cannot wash him clean. It can- 
not undo all the past, and restore him to decent 
society, to honour, and peace, and happiness." 

Charles. — u But, dear father, cannot repent- 
ance do this before God ?" 

Father. — " Xo, my dear boy, repentance, the 
most sincere, can remove neither the p:uilt, nor 
the pollution of sin. The common sense of 
mankind will declare this against all who in- 



142 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATIOX. 

dulge this vain hope. I carry you to the ob- 
servation of facts. Will repentance satisfy for 
a debt ? Will repentance, the most profoundly 
sincere, satisfy human law for robbery, murder, 
or even petty larceny? No, no. You re- 
member the poor mulatto, William Hill, who 
was condemned to die for killing the captain 
and the mate of a vessel, on board of which he 
had been dragged, into captivity, to be sold in- 
to a Southern sickly clime. Never, perhaps, 
was man more penitent. You remember, my 
dear children, I was with him in his cell ; and 
I was with him, and stood by him, when he 
was executed on Gallows Island. Two of us 
administered consolation to him.. He was, I 
firnny believe, a true Christian, and penitent. 
He died in peace. But repentance was no 
reparation to the law of man. Neither is re- 
pentance any reparation to the law and justice 
of God. This is the dictate of reason and 
common sense. If repentence can be a satis- 
faction for crime, and disobedience, in what is 



THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 143 

fast, then, by a parity of reason, it can be a 
satisfactory substitute for all crime, and all 
manner of disobedience in time to come. So 
that a sinner whose repentance has blotted out 
all the past, need only say, I have sincerely re- 
pented of all the future, and then rush on with 
impunity, into all manner of sin and enormity ! 

" No, my dear children — let me impress this 
on you. Repentance is a duty we owe to God ; 
and we will honestly exercise it if we be true 
believers. But repentance can neither be an 
atonement for the past, nor a satisfaction for 
future crimes. There are many silly and 
scandalous mistakes on this. I am anxious to 
guard you against them all, carefully, 

" There can be no real satisfaction to divine 
law, and justice, without death. Hear God's 
solemn assurance : — ' Without shedding of 

BLOOD THERE IS NO REMISSION OF SINS.' But, 

come, let us retire into the house." 

" It is the same case precisely with the pollu- 
tion of sin," said Mrs. Tor wood, when they 



144 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION. 

were all seated. " We must be cleansed by 
the blood of one, who can shed his blood for 
us ; who can lay down his life, and can take 
it up again. Unless such a one take away our 
guilt, and our pollution, we can never see the 
face of God in mercy ! Hence the necessity 
of salvation from One who will, and can be 
our substitute." Here the discourse was in- 
terrupted by an extraordinary arrival. 



END OF BOOK I. 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 



BOOK II. 
PART I. 



Salvation by a Substitute— Reality of Substitution— 
The finished work of our Substitute. 

CHAPTER I. 



" Man having disobeyed, 

Die he, or justice must; unless for him 
Some other able, and as willing, pay 
The rigid satisfaction,— death for death." 

" Can I believe mine eyes ? Or is it a dream 
of one awake V 9 exclaimed Mr. Torwood, as he 
hurried to the window, to look at a carriage 
hastily driving up in front of the house. In a 
moment the whole family was crowded together 
in the piazza. " It is the family carriage oi 
14 



146 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

my friend Jeffray, whom I saw on board the 
packet. The same horses, the same careful old 
John, the pious black, in the same blue livery, 
but much brightened up : there — it is my old 
friend himself — he descends from the carriage • 
there, too, are the children, — all of them ; then, 
lastly, there comes an old and venerable man, 
with hair as white as snow." 

They now hurried out to embrace them. 
Mr. Jeffray fell upon the neck of his friend, Mr. 
Torwood, and wept ; being incapable of utter, 
ance for several minutes. Mr. Torwood con- 
ducted him into the house, while Mrs. T. 
escorted his aged companion, and the children, 
all of them being agitated with extraordinary 
emotions. 

As soon as he could compose himself, Mr. 
Jeffray presented his aged companion to Mr. 
and Mrs. Torwood. " This is my venerable and 
beloved father-in-law, Judge Douglas, to me 
doubly a father. By his most unexpected in- 
terference, I am all, my dear Torwood, that I 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 147 

have been — with the exception of that beloved 
being — now a saint in heaven ! We have 
merely called to return you our thanks for all 
that you wished to do. I am on my way 
to take possession again of my splendid estate. 
There is that noble-minded and most generous 
of men, who has restored to me the mortgaged 
and lost inheritance." 

" Have done, my dear son," said his father- 
in-law hastily ; " and let us hasten to take the 
possession — time speeds its course." And he 
walked out to make arrangements for instant 
departure. 

" Most generous of men and best ? of Chris- 
tians !" said Mr. JefFray, as his eyes followed 
him — " he was confined by a dangerous illness 
in the far distant South, when the intelligence 
of our overwhelming misfortunes reached his 
house. For a long time the physician would 
not permit any one to mention it to him. But 
as soon as he was convalescent, he set out, and 
hastened to bring us relief. He reached town 



148 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

just one hour after you bade us adieu. He 
hurried on board, and got us all instantly re- 
landed. And he did not permit himself to rest, 
until he had regained the possession of all that 
had been taken from us. No pains, nor money 
was spared to accomplish his object. And 
here we are, in full view of regaining the peace- 
able possession of our beautiful inheritance. 
6 Goodness and mercy have followed me,' my 
dear friends, ' and my cup runneth over.' But, 
come, children ; our best friend waits. Adieu, 
my loving associates ; we shall meet often, and 
constantly, in the communion of kindred spirits ; 
God bless you all." 

It was a season of heartfelt pleasure to all 
parties. Mr. Torwood's whole family ascend- 
ed the eminence in the rear of his house, whence 
they could see the beautiful seat, and rich fields, 
and forests, of their friend, now restored to him, 
by the generosity of a father, and a kind Pro- 
vidence. They followed the returning family, 
with their eyes, until they reached the avenue 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 149 

leading up to the mansion-house ; and they 
could distinctly hear the loud cheerings of the 
old household domestics, and their assembled 
children, welcoming them back again to their 
own dear home. The very dogs expressed 
their wild joy on the occasion ; while the deep 
baying of old Tray, the favourite bloodhound, 
was pre-eminent in the tumultuous gratulations. 
" Here, my children," said Mr. T., " we have 
another instructive lesson. Our good friend 
was utterly ruined. He could not retrieve the 
forfeited inheritance. His near kinsman, sud- 
denly, and unexpectedly steps in; and by pur- 
chase, and the fruits of his generosity and love, 
JefFray is restored to home, and riches, and 
honours, and happiness. This, Charles, sug- 
gests to me the last grand topic, on which I 
promised you my instruction and counsel ; 
namely, the way of salvation ; or, how the 
mortgaged inheritance lost by the fall, is re- 
gained with glory, honour, and a blessed immor- 
tality. 

14* 



150 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

" But, come, let us descend ; the dinner bell 
summons us ; come, little Joseph, and 'Melie, 
give me your hands, and walk with me." 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 151 



CHAPTER II. 



-" That when they see, 



Law can discover sin, but not remove, 

Save by those shadowy expiations weak, 

The blood of bulls and goats, they may conclude 

Some blood more precious, must be paid for man ; 

Just for unjust," Milton. 

The next day, the conversation was renew- 
ed, as our happy group was sitting under a 
shady arbour, which excluded the burning rays 
of the sun; while a delicious breeze from the Bay 
was playing around them, amid the rustling of 
the broad leaves of the Catalpa, and the lim- 
ber branches of the vine. 

Mr. Torwood began. — " Now, my dear 
children, I think you must admit, from what I 
have taught you, of our lost, and miserable es- 
tate, by the fall, that if ever we be saved, it 
must be by a substitute. We are taught to 
look to God, and devoutly to confess this : — 
4 O Lord, it is not in man that walketh, to direct 



152 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

his steps : the way of man is not in himself.' 
' Enter not into judgment with thy servant ; 
for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. '" 
Charles. — " God has commanded us to make 
unto ourselves * a new heart ;' and he also says ; 
' return unto me, and I will return unto you.' 
6 Repent ye, and so sin shall not be your ruin.' 
6 Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die.' When 
God does command us to do a thing, it surely 
implies that we can do it. Will God mock 
us, by sternly commanding us to do what he 
knows we cannot do ? No ; that would be a 
tyrant's act, if I may be allowed to express an 
opinion." 

Father. — "You are quite too fast, Charles, 
in hurrying to your conclusions, before you 
consider and weigh well your premises. Be- 
ware of the leaven of the Pelagian errors, my 
dear boy. Permit me frankly to tell you, 
First, that your objection is learned in the Pe- 
lagian school. It is based on a false and dan- 
gerous assumption, an assumption which tears 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 153 

down, from its place, one of the most prominent 
doctrines of the Gospel. It is based on the 
supposition that man is not a ruined and 
helpless being by his own voluntary and in- 
excusable apostacy ! It is based on the denial 
of original sin ! 

" Now, nothing is more evident than this— 
that every thing which God enjoined on man, 
in his primitive and holy estate, man could 
fully do, even to perfection. But that power 
he has lost, utterly, by his own crime. But, 
that being the case, unquestionably Almighty 
God cannot lose his right and authority over 
man, to continue to lay on him his commands, 
even when the guilty rebel has, by his crimi- 
nal conduct, lost all his primitive power to obey. 
I put it to you, Charles, to say, whether any 
candid person can conceive such an absurdity, 
as to suppose man's apostacy does really anni- 
hilate God's right of dominion, and authority 
over him. Will a Christian give utterance to 
such an imagination ? Will any sober-minded 



154 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

man declare, that man's rebellion does actually 
tie up the hands of the Almighty ; and set aside 
the eternal law of his government, which never 
ceases to demand obedience from every man ? 

" But, second, — It is a historical fact that God 
does lay his commands on men who cannot be 
conceived able to obey. He said to the im- 
potent man, who could not move,—' Arise, 
take up thy bed V To the man with the 
withered hand, he said, — i Stretch forth thy 
hand I' Did these commands imply that these 
persons were able of their own unborrowed 
power, to obey God's command ? By the in- 
struction of the Almighty, the Prophet Ezekiel 
addressed a solemn discourse to the dry banes 
of the dead in the valley of vision. ' O ye 
dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.' Now, 
could these dry bones hear, and listen, and 
receive divine promises by their own power ?" 

" Third :— The truth is this, — as it regards 
human transactions, man never can, without 
absurdity and tyranny, command a man to do 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 155 

what he knows he cannot do. But as it re- 
gards the government and works of Almighty 
God, the matter is entirely different. Now, at- 
tend to me carefully, and I shall explain it, my 
dear children. When the Almighty God of 
nature, and of grace, issues a command to man, 
there goeth forth, whenever his sovereign will 
pleases, ' a virtue from him,' a divine and 
healing influence, which enables the man to 
obey. So, in the cases alluded to, the moment 
the words of Christ fell on the ears of the im- 
potent man, and on him with the withered hand, 
and on the dry bones (the souls of the house of 
Israel), there went forth divine virtue and heal- 
ing influence, which gave life, and faculty, and 
ability to obey him promptly. 

" So, while the pastor, like the prophet of old, 
utters the commands of Christ to * the dry 
bones,' 6 the impenitent, and dead in sins,' — 
there goeth forth from our God, the Holy Spi- 
rit in his life-giving power. He makes us 
alive. This life is followed by all the graces ; 



156 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

and by power, and growing capacity to do 
what God commands. The sinner is thence- 
forth willing and able to obey, and do his duty. 
God says, ' Arise from the dead.' By this life 
proceeding from God's spirit, they do rise up. 
God says, 'Believe and repent.' They do be- 
lieve and repent, at his command, and by the 
power of his grace, sending ability and willing- 
ness into the dead soul. For God i works in 
us both to will and to do.' 

" You perceive mow, I trust, all of you, that 
the point here in debate, is not about the fact 
of our having the will and the power to obey 
God. I do insist upon it that we have the will 
avid the capacity to do his will. The real point 
in debate is, whether we originate that power 
in ourselves ; or whether it comes from God. 
Now, we crown him Lord of all. We insist on 
it, that we no more can originate this will and 
capacity, than did the impotent man, or the 
dry bones, even the spiritually dead souls of 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 157 

the bouse of Israel, originate life, and will, and 
power in themselves." 

Charles. — " We thank you cordially, for 
this seasonable explanation. I shall not for- 
get it. We really have the will and the capa- 
city to obey God : but we have them of his rich 
grace, who does * work en us both to will 
and to do of his good pleasure.' ' 

Father. — " Xow, hear, my children, the 
maxim which I often repeat to you on this 
subject. Keep it carefully in mind. And, I 
assure you, that being guided by this maxim, 
you can remove these difficulties, and solve 
these superficial objections usually made on 
this doctrine. The maxim is this : — God 

NEVER C03DIAXDS ANY 31 AX, TO DO GOD's 
WORK : BET HE COMMANDS EVERY MAN TO DO 
HIS DUTY. 

" Apply this, Charles, to the above. For 

instance, • Make ye to yourselves the new 

heart.' Xow, do not confound here, the work 

of God with man's duty. God takes to himself 

15 



158 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

the honour of giving the new heart, — « I will 
give you the new heart.' He does it the 
moment that the Holy Ghost creates us anew, 
and makes us alive, in Christ. God says, — I 
give you the new heart, and life in Christ. 
Man responds by exercising these new powers, 
and working out the developement of the 
graces of the new heart. Thus, in one word, 
God gives all the grace ; and man, with new 
powers and capacities, which grace gives, 
promptly obeys. God receives all the glory : 
man is laid under very solemn responsibilities 
to do his duty. ' God works in us both to will, 
and to do.' Man ; makes to himself a new 
heart,' and 6 works out his salvation with fear 
and trembling.' This he accomplishes in the 
way of doing his duties, through the aid of the 
Holy Spirit, in developing the real existence ; 
and putting forth the real exercises i and 
working out the clear evidences of the new 
heart, by the grace of God vouchsafed to 
him. 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 159 

* But, Charles/' continued Mr. T.. •'• all this 
has a reference to the work of our sanctifica- 
tion. There is a previous point, which we must 
not omit. For we must be freed from guilt, 
and death, as well as from the impurity and 

POLLUTING Sin. 

'•' If ever we be saved, it must be by a sub- 
stitute. If this be doubted by any one, — 
then, for the sake of argument, my dear chil- 
dren, we shall suppose that a man stands up as 
his own vindicator, and surety before the Al- 
mighty, the immutable justice, and the holiness 
and the faithfulness of God. Now, the first 
thing required of him in order to achieve 
his own salvation, would be this, — to restore to 
God's holy majesty that pure nature which he 
lost by his fall in Adam. We must admit this, 
or we must show that there was no sin. nor 
criminality in wantonly throwing away, and 
losing this glorious crown which God gave. 
But this, man can never do. Sooner may the 
Ethiopian change his jet-black hue ; or the 



160 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

leopard his spots, than he that is accustomed to 
do evil can learn to do well. The Holy Ghost 
alone, can create us anew. 

" Second, — He must next give, in this spotless- 
ly pure nature, the most perfect obedience to 
all God's laws, without the least delinquency 
in desire, passion, affection, thought, word, and 
action. And, let me add, this perfect obedience 
must be rendered to the Holy One, from our 
cradle, to the dying bed. This is utterly im- 
possible on the part of man. Yes, there is a 
double impossibility here !" 

Charles.—" But, dear father, if man do his 
best, can God ask more ? Will he not, like a 
creditor, forgive him, and accept what he can 
get from him ?" 

Father. — " My dear boy, I am well aware 
that what you mention, is one of the most po- 
pular, and common objections of Deism. It is, 
in fact, one of the every-day maxims of infi- 
delity. Mark me, children, I say deliberately, — 
this is a common maxim of infidelity. Some, 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 161 

it may be, who are very ignorant, not having 
studied the Holy Bible, fall into this mistake. 
But, notice, I beseech you, this fact — they 
confound what is required by way of righteous- 
ness, for our justification, — with what belongs 
to the duties and doings of sanctification. 
When we have been justified, and pardoned, 
and placed under the new law of liberty, under 
the care of our Dear Lord and Master Christ, 
in our obedience, our God accepts our poor 
imperfect services, and our persons for the sake 
of the merits of Christ. But, I implore you, 
my dear ones, by the salvation of your souls, 
to remember, that this is the case with those 
only who have been justified by the blood of 
the atonement. Our obedience is the obedience 
of gratitude, and praise, and glory to God ; and 
by no means, the meritorious obedience, abso- 
lutely necessary to our justification. Carefully 
preserve this distinction between justification 
and sanctification. 

" While, then, God accepts in our sanctifica- 
15* 



162 THE WAY OF SALVAT10X. 

tion, our poor imperfect services and obedience 
to his law. — it is quite a different matter — an 
entirely distinct thing, as to the nature of the 
meritorious obedience required by law and 
justice, in order to obtain personal justification. 
and the pardon of our sins. 

" That obedience which we must render, on 
the supposition that each man stood up at the 
bar of God, for himself, must be absolutely per- 
fect, as I have just said. Here are the reasons. 
The standard and measure, is the law of 
God ; — not my opinion, or yours. The obe- 
dience must, in all respects, be just what the 
law and justice of God require : otherwise it is 
not the obedience, in kind, that is required. 
Hear the law uttered by our God : — ; Cursed 
is every one that continueth not in all things, 
written in the book of the law to do them.' If 
you fail in mind, in word, in action, during 
life, your obedience is imperfect. And it is an 
axiom of truth, that an imperfect obedience is, 
in God's pure eyes, nothing short of an insult 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 163 

on his justice, purity, and sovereignity. It is 
not obedience to his law at all. Hence, it 
can never be accepted. 

" There is another reason to confirm this. 
You said ' God will accept it as perfect, and 
forgive the rest of the debt.' This is plausible 
with men of superficial minds, who know not 
the Scriptures. To this sophism, Charles, I 
reply, it may be a popular maxim in business. 
But, sin is one thing, and debts against a man, 
are another. And there is an infinity of dif- 
ference between them. First, God cannot, in 
truth, pronounce, or consider that to be perfect 
for our justification, which is actually imper- 
fect. He cannot utter a lie. 

" Second. — His law is, in reality, nothing 
else than God himself speaking. That law, 
we see, requires absolute perfection in all 
parts, body and soul, and over all time. Now, 
if he did really accept of an obedience that is 
imperfect ; then is he just saying, that he 
requires one thing, peremptorily, and just as 



164 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

peremptorily is he saying, that he accepts an- 
other — which is defective and polluted ! This 
impeaches his honour. He is thus represented 
as saying one thing, and doing another. That 
is, it deprives God of his veracity and honour. 
It impeaches his holiness. He requires perfec- 
tion by his justice ; but his holiness takes up 
this imperfection, and dishonour ? 1 trust I 
have answered you, Charles." 

Charles. — " Yes, dear father, I am struck 
dumb. And I was just thinking, as you went on 
with your argument, what a poor, blind, wilful, 
and selfish creature man is. We strive to adjust 
matters in our selfish theories of religion, to 
suit our own caprice, or our safety. But we do 
shamefully and criminally overlook God's 
claims, and honour, and purity, and unsearch- 
able sovereignty !" 

Father : — " I thank you, Charles, for these 
sentiments. And let me add, that the most da- 
ring and unblushing of all the sons of men, 
cannot say that this is a hard requirement. 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 165 

Had God merely told you the truth, and left 
you there, he would have done an awful act of 
glory to his sovereignty and justice, as he did 
toward the fallen angels. But you, O children 
of men, you, — he tells you, publicly, and with a 
flood of glorious evidence poured around you, 
that there is oxe, who has entered the arena, 
and placed himself as a servant under the law, 
to obey for us, in his vicarious life and actions. 
Hence man must blush, and be ashamed to 
make objections, and utter a murmur as if ' God 
were reaping where he had not sowed. 5 

" No, no ; my dear children, God uttered his 
law from Sinai. He still utters it on our ears 
to convince us that we never can be our own 
deliverer, and our own saviour. He pro^ 
claims his pure and terrible law, in his own 
terrible manner, ' to shut us up to the faith of 
the Gospel.' 

" But this is enough, my dear, for the pre- 
sent," said Mr. T. to his wife. " We must 
never burden our children, nor make a task of 



166 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

the pleasant conversations on the love of God, 
and the redemption of our souls, by our Re- 
deemer's death, and the grace of the Spirit. 
Conduct them to refreshments, and amuse- 
ments. Adieu." 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 167 



CHAPTER III. 

" In such righteousness 
To them by faith, imputed, they may find 
Justification towards God, and peace 
Of conscience ; which the law by ceremonies 
Cannot appease, nor man the mortal part 
Perform: and, not performing, cannot live." 

Milton. 

Charles proposed the renewal of the con- 
versation after dinner : and as the children 
placed themselves with smiles of pleasure and 
happiness, in a circle around their parents, not 
without many grave exhortations from little 
Joseph to keep the peace, and observe good or- 
der, — Mr. Torwood went on, after he had re- 
sumed the substance of the preceding conversa- 
tion. 

" But, my children, on the supposition that 
there is no substitute who is willing to be our 
Saviour, — there is a third impossibility in our 
way of being our own saviour. We must enter 
the arena of public satisfaction, as well as of obe- 



168 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

dience. We must suffer for the guilt of sin 
until divine justice release us, and say, — ' It 

IS ENOUGH !' 

" But sin is an evil of infinite immorality. 
It is the breach of infinite obligations. It is 
the violation of God's most holy will ; and 
hence, being opposed to his infinite holiness, it 
is an infinitely vile thing. This is not all. 
Sin is a self-perpetuating evil. It goes on 
unceasingly growing, and accumulating, for 
ever and ever, after man's death. And there- 
fore, to meet the infinite claims of justice, he 
must suffer eternally. Yes ; were man ca- 
pable of satisfying for the past, yet, still the 
satisfaction, and the suffering must go on, com- 
mensurate with the duration of sin. But man 
goes on sinning, and for ever sinning. Hence, 
he must suffer, and for ever suffer, for his guilt ! 
That is, were his sufferings even meritorious, 
he could, nevertheless, never reach an end of 
his hell ; and never reach heaven ! The pit 
in which he sinks is the bottomless pit." 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 189 

Charles. — " You astonish me : I had always 
concluded in my mind, that every man ceased 
from sinning, after death." 

Father. — " You have been carried away, 
then, by one of those vulgar errors that float 
in society, without evidence, and without ex- 
amination, Now, listen to me. Man cannot 
of himself cease from sinning. Sin is a second 
nature with him. It is an incurable habit, so 
far as human power and will are concerned. 
It cannot be doubted that the soul is as active 
after death, in its disembodied state, as it was 
in this life. Our Lord has presented this clearly 
in his parable of the rich man and Lazarus : 
and in the holy visions of John when he be- 
held the ransomed in all their activity and en- 
joyments in glory. Now, then, if the soul is 
untiringly active, it must act according to the 
principles, and reigning causes in it. It is, 
therefore, active in holiness in heaven : or, it 
is active in sin, in hell ! 

* " There is a double reason to establish this 
16 



170 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

self -perpetuating power in sin. First : No 
degree of torment can ever eonvey a change of 
heart in man, or implant new, gracious, ope- 
rating principles. This is self-evident. 
Second : Torment and continuous pain can 
only call out, into operation, the principles and 
habits of the soul. But there are only evil 
principles, and vicious habits, and disposi- 
tions, in the souls of the unconverted, and im- 
penitent. Hence the soul can, and will do no- 
thing but sin, and blaspheme God, for ever and 
ever. 

" Hence man makes his own hell absolutely 
eternal. For Divine justice will continue to 
burn, and consume, and torment the guilty, and 
will do so as long as man is guilty, and still 
adds everlasting heights to his mountains of sin. 
Hence he never can reach an end of his wo : 
he never can see the face of God in love ! 

" David, you are following me with marked 
attention, I see. Turn up that passage of holy 
writ in Revelations xvi. 10 and 11." — David 



THE WAT OF SALVATION. 171 

read as follows : — * And they,' — the tormented 
by God's justice, — * gnawed their tongues with 
pain : and blasphemed the God of heaven, be- 
cause of their sores, and their pains ; and 
repented not of their deeds.' 

" Now, my children," — continued Mr. Tor- 
wood, — " it is of no consequence whether this 
refer to the torments inflicted on the wicked 
in this world, or in the next w T orld. The prin- 
ciple is here manifest. No degree of pain, or 
torment can implant in man's soul a new 
principle of life, or awake a sinner into genuine 
penitence. Hence, by the way, the princi- 
ple on which Universalism is based, is con- 
tradicted by reason, Scripture, and the com- 
mon sense of all mankind. When violent in- 
flictions of pain will beget love in evil men : 
when the unmitigated and dreadful torments 
inflicted by justice on the impenitent, will awa- 
ken esteem and love in the soul of the impeni- 
tent toward the author of the infliction,— then 



172 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

will these maniac tenets find favour among 
sober and reflecting men. 

" Behold, my dear children, what a holy and 
just One we have to do with. He is terrible 
in his justice to the guilty and impenitent. 

" And now you see, I trust, that there can 
be no salvation, nor hope to guilty man, but 
through a substitute. There is no name un- 
der heaven, given among men, whereby we 
must be saved, but the name of our substi- 
tute. 

" But it is time to break up ; for little Jo- 
seph, and 'Melie will go to sleep unless they 
have some relaxation." 

" No, Pa, we won't go asleep," cried Jo- 
seph with great simplicity ; a but some of 
those things you tell us, are too deep for us. 
We can't follow you, dear Pa, in all of them." 

" I know it, my dear little ones. But some 
of you do follow me ; and do also understand 
me. It is so with other branches of science. 
You cannot yet understand them. But in in- 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 173 

fancy I must impress these deep things of the 
gospel in your memory. Your young minds 
must be filled, and possessed with them. And 
when fixed in the memory, and cherished there, 
depend on it you will, by the aid of the Holy 
Ghost, in the progress of life, clearly under- 
stand, and, I trust, firmly believe. Meantime 
I shall go over these precious truths of Christ 
so often, and so regularly, that by God's grace, 
you shall ' all know them, from the least to 
the greatest.' " Then uncovering his head, 
Mr. Torwood uttered this prayer, as the mem- 
bers of his little flock kneeled around him. 

" O Heavenly Father, I commit to thee this 
dear flock, — my wife, and my children, w T hom 
thou hast given us. Oh ! God, we feel the very 
solemn responsibility we are under, to train up 
these young immortals for thee. Blessed and 
dear Shepherd, thou didst lay down thy life 
for the sheep, and the lambs also. Oh ! gather 
these lambs in thine arms ; and carry them in 
thy bosom ; bring them into the green pastures, 
16* 



174 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

beside the still waters. Oh ! bring them back 
from all places into which they have wandered 
in the cloudy and dark day ! Let none of the 
wolves of this wilderness, break in upon them, 
to devour them. And, oh ! most merciful and 
Almighty God, grant of thine infinite grace, 
that no one of this, my little flock, be lost. 
Through thy rich and abounding grace, may 
we all meet in heaven — as a family entire — no 
one of us being lost, or strayed in this wilder- 
ness. And glory shall be thine in Christ Je- 
sus, for ever. Amen." 



THE WAY OF SALTATION. 175 



CHAPTER IV. 

' : If there be senttoliim a messenger, 
An interpreter, one among a thousand, 
To show to man. what is his duty ; 
Then will God be gracious to him, and say, 
Deliver him from going down to the pit ; 
I have provided an atonement." 

Dr. Buthroyd's version of Job, xxxiii. 23, 24. 

Next morning, as the whole of our happy 
family were seated under a beautiful catalpa, in 
full blossom, at the head of the lawn — a posi- 
tion commanding a full view of the Bay, Mr, 
Torwood directed their attention to a -vessel in 
full sail — always a beautiful and sublime spec- 
tacle — passing before them. It seemed to di- 
rect it course close in upon the shore ; it was 
beating up against a fresh head wind, and 
came near the shore before it changed its 
course. Every eye of our group was upon it ; 
while the youngsters repeated the busy sailor's 
shrill piping cries, as each stood at his post, 
with his rope ; and the deep intonation of the 



176 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

Captain, as he sung out, " pull hard a lee." 
At that moment they saw an object fall from 
the yard-arm. It was a young sailor, who had 
missed his foot-hold, and was plunged headlong 
into the foaming waves. With an involuntary 
shriek, each one started to his feet, and bent 
forward with silent and intense interest to 
watch the prompt measures taken to save their 
poor struggling comrade. 

" My life for your life, Jack ; keep up heart 
until I reach you !" sung out a warm-hearted 
brother sailor, as he hurried to the vessel's side, 
and stripping himself, plunged, and dived for 
the exhausted youth. A hearty cheer was sent 
forth by the whole ship's crew, and as heartily 
re-echoed by our sympathising group, when 
they saw the sailor hoisted up, grasping in his 
arms the half-drowned youth. 

" That was life for life," said Mr. T. ; "yea, 
it is, as it were, life from the dead ; for he will 
be brought back from his insensibility into life." 
Meantime the stately ship bounded over the 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 177 

waves, and disappeared behind the adjacent pro- 
montory. 

" I think that young sailor," said little Jo- 
seph, " will feel very thankful to his deliverer 
all his days ; I'm sure I would, Pa." 

" Oh yes ; and what an instructive lesson is 
here given us, my dear ones," said Mr. T., as 
they all resumed their places on the grassy 
sofa under the catalpa. " And it leads me to 
what I promised to-day, in our discussions on 

THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

" Like that young sailor, man was sweeping 
thoughtlessly over the waves of time. He fell ; 
he was plunged into the dark waves of death. 
And he would have ' slept the sleep of death 
eternal,' had not One, even a near kinsman, 
plunged into the dark waves for the redemp- 
tion of his life. 

" Now, there are some points to which I 
wish you, my children, with the greatest ear- 
nestness, to direct your minds. First, — Did 
the peremptory threatenings of God leave room 



ITS THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

for the intervention of a substitute ? The threat- 
ening is this : — ; In the day thou eatest thereof, 
thou shall surely die.' ' The soul that sinneth, 
it shall die.' ' He will by no means clear the 
guilty.' Law and justice must and shall have 
their course. It is utterly impossible that 
the Sovereign and Holy One can utter one 
thing on the ears of all intelligent beings, and 
do another thing before their eyes. As certain- 
ly, therefore, as God is truth and faithfulness, 
on his throne, shall the sinner be constrained 
to satisfy law and justice by death. He must 
die ! 

'• But, it is a principle clearly, and certainly 
involved here, that this denunciation, strict as 
it is, has left room for the intervention of a sub- 
stitute. This is established by facts exhibited 
in the ever-Messed gospel of Jesus, Had the 
law's rigorous denunciation — and had presidios 
justice admitted of no substitute, then assured- 
ly the voice of a Saviour had never greeted our 
ears ! No promise, no hope, no pity, no Sab. 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 179 

bath days, no sanctuary, no ministry, no sa- 
craments had ever been heard of. But the ex- 
istence of all these, perpetuated from the days 
of the fall, to this hour, have established the fact 
beyond gainsay, that a door was left open for 
a substitute. 

" And there is no sacrifice of principle here. 
Divine law and justice must roll on in their un- 
impeded course. They may roll on in some new 
and unusual course. But roll on they must, with- 
out let or hindrance ; and that, too, in their full 
and overflowing flood of glory ! And so they 
do roll on, through the intervention of the Holy 
and Sinless One, our substitute. This extra- 
ordinary course was adopted, in perfect keeping 
with the primary end of penalty and punish- 
ment. 

" For, the grand and primary end of penalty 
and punishment, is not the destruction of the 
subjects of God's government. Punishment 
does, we admit, terminate in the death of the 
sinner. That, however, is the secondary end 



180 THE WAY OF SALVATIO>". 

of punishment. The primary end of the infiic 
tion of the penalty, is, of course, the same as 
that of the penalty attached to the promulged 
law. But, assuredly, it cannot be said that the 
penalty of the law is designed primarily , to des- 
troy those who are under that law. The grand 
primary end of penalty, is to enforce the law, 
by exhibiting, in a terrific manner, the conse- 
quences of disobedience ; and, thereby, to sus- 
tain the divine government in its purity, and 
power. 

"Hence, my dear children, when the great 
and primary end can be obtained, by visiting 
the punishment upon the head of a willing and 
capable substitute, instead of the original trans- 
gressor, it is perfectly consistent with the law's 
denunciation, and the most holy administration 
of the divine government, to admit of a trans- 
fer of persons, and of punishment. And when 
a willing and capable substitute can be found, 
who can throw a lustre of ineffable glory around 
the throne of justice, and < magnify the law. 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 181 

and make it honourable ;' and, thence, display 
the spotless purity of the divine government — 
the end is attained in the highest, and most 
glorious manner. And all the principalities, 
mights, and thrones of heaven ; and all those 
distributed over all worlds, are invited to ad- 
mire, and adore the wisdom, and inflexible jus- 
tice reigning in the divine empire. And 
every holy intelligence, throughout his vast do- 
minions, is, thence, bound closer than ever in 
love, worship, and obedience to their glorious 
Creator and Ruler. The following sublime 
passage I shall quote to you, in confirmation 
of this, out of Ephesians iii, 10, 6 To the intent, 
that now unto the principalities and powers, in 
heavenly places, might be known by the church, 
the manifold wisdom of God ; according to the 
eternal purpose, which he purposed in Christ 
Jesus our Lord.' " 



IT 



182 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 



CHAPTER V. 

" He who comes, thy Saviour shall re-cure, 

Not by destroying Satan, but his works, 
In thee, and in thy seed. Nor can this be, 
But by fulfilling that which thou didst want, 
Obedience to the law of God, imposed 
On penalty of death ; and suffering death, 
The penalty to thy transgression due ; 
And due to theirs, which out of thine shall grow. 
So, only, can high Justice rest appaid." 

Milton, Par. Lost, Book sii. 

Mr. Torwood resumed his conversation. 
" We have seen the evidence of the grand gos- 
pel doctrine, that in the rigid threatening of the 
law of God, room was left for a substitute to 
hasten for our deliverance. I now beg your 
attention to a second leading doctrine. It is 
this : — What was incumbent on this substitute to 
be by him achieved on our behalf? 

" This we must learn out of the Holy Bible, 
in order that we may know the truth, and ap- 
preciate the value, of the work of the mighty 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 183 

and competent substitute, ' the Great God, our 
Saviour.' Now, I cannot be too earnest in im- 
pressing on you all, my children, the following. 

" First. The substitute must be one who is 
the son of man. He must be ; bone of our bone, 
and flesh of our flesh.' An angel, or any spirit 
cannot be our substitute. It was man that 
sinned ; and man must make good the satisfac- 
tion. i Forasmuch, then, as the children are 
partakers of flesh and blood ; he must also, 
himself,' who offers to be the substitute, ' like- 
wise partake of the same.' 

" Second. The substitute must show himself 
to be pure, and spotlessly innocent. For two 
things, according to the word of God, must he 
do, to achieve the work of man's redemption. 
First ; he must, before the infinitely Holy One, 
present himself, as one possessed of a perfectly 
holy nature, in our name, and on our behalf; 
saying, — here I present that same holy nature 
of man, which he lost by the fall. Second ; 
he behoved to be perfectly free of all stain by 



184 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

actual, or by original sin ; so that he should 
not be called upon, by law and justice, to make 
a satisfaction on his own behalf. Were the 
substitute we speak of, guilty of any sin, by na- 
ture, or by practice, it is easy to see, my dear 
children, that the law and inflexible justice of 
God would instantly lay hold on him, as an 
ordinary and guilty son of Adam, and say to 
him, — i Pay me what thou owest, before thou 
canst pretend to satisfy for others.' 

" Third. The substitute must not only pre- 
sent, on our behalf, a holy human nature, he 
must also give guarantee, such as God will ac- 
cept, that we all shall, in due time, be put in 
possession of such a holy and sinless nature as 
will be satisfactory to God. The evidence of 
this is exhibited by the fact declared in the Holy 
Bible, — Jesus came ' to save his people from 
their sins,' not to save them in their sins. 
Hence, we are assured, that ' when he shall 
appear, we shall be like him.' 1 John, iii. 2. 

w Fourth. The substitute must be one who is 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 185 

absolute and independent lord over his own 
life. No mere man has a right, without a 
warrant from God permitting him, to take his 
own life, and to do with it as he pleases, by 
throwing it away ; or laying it down for ano- 
ther. Man's life, even every mere man's life, 
is the property of Almighty God. It is not 
man's property. It is a treasure of immense 
value, deposited with man, to be rendered back 
only at the express call of its maker and owner, 
the Almighty God. What call you the man, 
Charles, who, being entrusted with money and 
jewels to an immense value, embezzles and 
squanders them without leave given by their 
owner ?" 

Charles. — " He is named by every most op- 
probrious and atrocious epithet, which our lan- 
guage can furnish to virtuous indignation, — a 
thief, a robber !" 

Father. — "True, Charles ; what then must 
he be, in the eye of divine sovereignty, and 
impartial justice, who dares throw away his 
17* 



186 THE WAY OF SALVATIOX. 

own life wantonly, or who shall, unbidden by 
the Almighty, lay down that life for another ? 
A great deal of sentimentalism and poetry may, 
indeed, be expended on these acts, by ill-in- 
formed men. But, after all, he is nothing less 
than an embezzler of God's property \ he is a 
robber, a plunderer in God's government ? 

" Hence, he who can be our substitute, must 
be one who has l power to lay down his life for 
us, and power to take it up again.' In other 
words, he behoved to be son of man, and son 
of god in one person. He behoved to be ; the 
Great God our Saviour,' as well as ' the man of 
sorrows.' He must come up to the character 
of him of whom Zion sings ; ' As for our Re- 
deemer, our Goel, that is, our kinsman Redeem- 
er, the Lord of Hosts is his name.' 

" Fifth. Being thus constituted, according 
to the requirements of law and justice, the sub- 
stitute must render exact obedience to all the 
laws of God. It behoveth him c to fulfill all 
righteousness.' God's sovereignty and wisdom 



TRE WAY OF SALVATION. 187 

must be honoured by an exhibition of the fact, 
before all intelligences, that the law of God is 
holy, wise, reasonable, and good ; that it can 
be obeyed ; and that it must be obeyed, by all 
his subjects, under the heaviest penalty. 

" Sixth. Our substitute must not only ren- 
der this perfect obedience, but must also give a 
guarantee, which God our Father will accept, 
that all his ransomed ones shall infallibly be 
brought, in the due progress of holiness, to ren- 
der to God an exact and cheerful obedience to 
God's holy law ; that this obedience on every 
Christian's part, shall be done here, according to 
our measure of holiness ; and in heaven at last, 
in perfection. This, the substitute must pledge 
his divine fidelity, to see done in us, and by us, 
infallibly, through his rich grace. 

Seventh. Our substitute must be one who 
can pledge himself to see our sentence of 
condemnation reversed, most righteously, before 
the throne of justice ; and to conquer sin in us, 
and the world, and Satan, and death, the last 



188 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

of all our enemies. He must have the real 
and proper matter of a sacrifice to offer up 
for us, to divine justice ; and he must be ' the 
one mighty to save,' ' even to the uttermost,' from 
all enemies. 

" For there are just claims against us; these 
he must meet by obedience and death. There 
are unjust claims put in by the usurpation of 
Satan ; these he must meet by the infinite 
might of his power. 

" And now, my children, it becomes us to 
praise and thank our God, that we have not, 
like the Athenians, to erect an altar to the Un- 
known God. For we know Him, who has pre- 
sented himself 6 between the living and the 
dead, to cause the plague to be staid.' We 
do know Him, ' whom to know is life eternal ;' 
even Jesus Christ, * God manifest in the 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 



PART II. 



Christ exhibited as our voluntary and all-sufficient sub- 
stitute — He entered the arena — He stood up between 
the living and the dead, to stay the plague — He fully 
achieved all that was required of him on our behalf 

CHAPTER I. 

" Oh ! love divine ! immeasurable love ! 
Stooping from heaven to earth, from earth to hell, 
Without beginning, endless, boundless love! 
Above all asking, — giving far, to those 
Who nought deserved,— who nought deserved, but death ! 
Saving the vilest ! Saving me ! O Love 
Divine ! O Saviour God ! O Lamb, once slain ! 
At thought of thee, thy love, thy flowing blood, 
All thoughts decay ; all things remembered fade !" 

Pollok. 

On a delightful Sabbath evening, after he 
had conducted his family twice into the house 
of God, Mr. Torwood resumed the discussion 



190 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

of this all-absorbing subject. In addition to 
the members of his own family, he had invited 
into the parlour, his farmer, his gardener, and 
their families, and all his labouring men, old 
and young, neatly clad in their Sabbath day 
clothes. 

It was a beautiful spectacle. And happy is 
the man to whom God has given wealth and 
influence, and a heart to do all the good he 
can, to those around him. There sat our vene- 
rable friend, like Abraham, in the midst of his 
family and dependence And, there, he is imi- 
tating the example of the father of the faithful, 
on whom the Most High pronounced his choice 
blessings, as he commended his example to all 
generations in his gracious plaudit, — " I know 
him, that he will command his children, and 
his household after him ; and they shall keep 
the way of the Lord." Mr. Tor wood thus 
went on. 

" The eternal and well-beloved Son of God 
is our substitute. To the amazement, and 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 191 

utter confusion of the inhabitants of hell, who 
were moved by malicious sympathies ; and the 
delighted astonishment of all the pure intelli- 
gences of heaven, who stood in deep and awful 
suspense, looking for the certain destruction of 
our guilty race, — He stepped forth, and pre- 
sented himself between the throne of justice, 
and our trembling world. He lifted his eyes to 
his Eternal Father, and said, — • Lo ! I come ; 
I delight to do thy will, O my God V <I will 
restore that which I took not away.' * Deliver 
from going down to the pit : I have found a ran- 
som.' And He lifted up his voice, and said to 
us : — < Hearken unto me, ye stout-hearted, that 
are far from righteousness. I bring near my 
righteousness, it shall not be far off : and my 
salvation shall not tarry.' • Look unto me, 
and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth : for 
I am God, and there is none else !' ' A just 
God, and a Saviour : there is none beside me.' 
" Now, my dear children and neighbours, let 
us see whether he did meet all these requisi- 



192 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

tions, which I lately set before you, in the cha- 
racter of a competent substitute. 

" First : Christ was Son of Man, as well as 
Son of God. He was actually ' bone of our 
bone, and flesh of our flesh.' < God sent forth 
his Son, made of a woman, made under the 
law.' < He took on him the form of a servant.' 

u Now, Charles, I beg your attention to this 
wonderful text : and look at the double charac- 
ter of Christ, here set forth. ' He took on him 
the form of a servant.' You know that every 
creature, by virtue of his creation, is a servant 
of God. But, here is one who took on him- 
self the form of a servant. Therefore, he is no 
creature ; therefore, he is Creator, God over 
all, as well as a servant and a man ! 

" As Son of man he hungered, and thirsted ; 
as son of God, he turned water into wine ; and 
fed thousands by a few loaves multiplied into 
many by his creative power. As Son of man, 
he was asleep in the vessel : as Son of God, 
he rebuked the tempest, and hushed the turbu- 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 193 

lent elements into a calm. As Son of man, he 
bled, and died on the cross ; as Son of God, 
he saved by his almighty grace, the poor dying 
penitent that hung by him. As Son of man, 
he was laid in the grave ; as Son of God, he 
arose by his own power from the dead. 

" Second : He presented on our behalf, a human 
nature, spotless in purity. We have the testi- 
mony of Scripture, and of fact, to this all-im- 
portant fact. 

" The testimony of the former is explicit ; 
* He was a high priest, holy, harmless, unde- 
filed, and separated from sinners.' 6 He did no 
violence nor sin : and there was no deceit nor 
guile in his mouth.' Is. liii. 9. 1 Peter, ii. 22. And 
his Father's voice from the excellent glory, de- 
clared him the Sinless One. ' This is my be- 
loved Son, in whom I am well pleased !' And the 
fact of the union of his humanity to his divi- 
nity, confirms this. ' The holy thing born of 
Mary,' that is, his human sonship, < was called 
the Son of God :' for these two made one 
18 



194 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

person. And ir is declared 'that God 

sed the church with his own blood.' That 
is. — God and M united in on-? '-ers:::. 

The blood ■: :' the Son of man was possess-: 
infinite value, from its union to the oers; 
the Son of G 

"Now, then, attend to this bet The hu- 
man nature, — that is. the soul and body of 
Christ, — never exists : >ftheii 

union to the person of the Son of God. It was 
the >:n •: : G : : : e. e ■-:'■' :::. ment 

of its existence. Hence, his hnman nature 
never was represented by Adam. The Son :f 
God, even the Great G::l. our Savieur. could 

NOT BE REPRESENTED BY MA>". HeilCe. i! 

not si 7} in Adam: it did no: " " in Adam. It 
had. therefore, no original stain : no pollu- 
tion. no guilt. 

" And he had no actual sin. as we have 
just proved. Hence he presented a human 
nature on our behalf pure and sinless. 

" But. Third ; Hisholv humanity was not to set 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 195 

aside the necessity of our purity of nature. He 
did give his divine guarantee that all the ransom- 
ed should, in due time, be possessed of a holy na- 
ture, like himself. There is the divine testimo- 
ny : — He is called Jesus, because he saves his 
people from their sins. He chose us that 'we 
should be holy and without blame before him 
in love.' Eph. i. 4. He makes us * partakers 
of the divine nature,' — that is, < of a divine na- 
ture, even the new and holy nature conferred 
on us, in regeneration.' ' He will fashion us 
like unto his glorious body.' i When he will 
appear in the great day, we shall be like unto 
him.' And, finally, in his intercessory prayer, 
he uttered these memorable words, fully con- 
firming the truth we are speaking of, — i For 
their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also 
might be sanctified through the truth.' John 
xvii. 19. 

" Fourth : Our Lord Jesus Christ was the only 
Son of man that ever appeared on earth, who 
was sovereign Lord over his own life. Hence 



196 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

he could offer his life for us, in sacrifice, with- 
out wronging any one. Now, Charles, open 
that Bible, in your hand, and read us out of the 
book of God, on this matter, our Lord's testi- 
mony in John, ch. x. 17, 18." 

Charles opened the Bible, and read as fol- 
lows : — * My father doth love me, because I 
lay down my life, that I might take it up again. 
No man taketh it from me : but I lay it down 
of myself : I have power to lay it down ; and 
I have power to take it again.' 

" And these wonderful claims he made good in 
the certain fact that he rose from the dead by his 
own power. Hence the disciples exclaimed — 
6 The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to 
Simon.' And hence, the other repeated testi- 
monies that he rose. Rom. xiv, 9. < Christ 
both died/and rose, and revived.' 1 Cor. xv. 4. 
6 Christ was buried, and he rose the third day, 
according to the Scriptures.' Hence he was 
in a perfect capacity, without wronging any 
one, to give body for our bodies, and his soul 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 197 

for our souls, as the substitute of God's choice 
and acceptance, 

" Fifth : Being thus ' constituted, and set up 5 
as our representative, he did give a most perfect 
obedience to God's law, for us. His holy soul was 
in exact conformity to the holy law. He had 
perfect truth in the inner man. In no instance 
did he ever manifest one evil desire, one 
unholy passion, one impure emotion. He was 
the holy one of God. He never forgot his 
work ; nor relaxed himself in his labours of 
love. He never murmured, never repined, 
under the pressure of his services, and toils of 
love, among a thankless nation. No opposition 
could drive him from his work. 'He gave his 
back to the smiters, and the cheek to them 
that plucked off the hair.' What spotless 
purity in word, in mind, and in life ! What 
purity of doctrine dropped from his lips \ 
6 Which of you/ said he, in his appeal even to 
the enemy, ' convinceth me of sin !' What a 
uniform, untiring, ardent, and pure devotion in 
18* 



198 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

prayer ! What a holy contempt of the world, 
its ease, and pleasures, and honours, and 
glory ! He trampled it under his feet. What 
benevolence and love, in all his actions to his 
people ! What pity, and compassion, and di- 
vine forgiveness of his enemies ! ' Father, for- 
give them, for they know not what they do !' 
He was holiness personified. He was the king 
of truth, walking forth, exhibiting, in the living 
reality, a perfect model of obedience to all 
God's requirements. 

"Now, you cannot but observe, my dear 
children, that this obedience to God's law was 
not given on Ms own account. The Son of 
God placed himself under the law. Hence the 
law had no claims, — as it could not possibly 
have any claims, — on him, as a divine person. 
Of course, all this painful labour, and submis- 
sion, and unwearied obedience was vicarious. 
It was for us they were all offered up to God. 
K He was made under the law, to redeem them 
that are under the law.' 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 199 

" But, Sixth : While our divine surety rendered 
this obedience as an essential portion of the me- 
diatorial work, in finishing the atonement,— this 
was not to set aside the necessity of a holy 
obedience from each of his ransomed ones. 

" This follows necessarily from the fact of 
Christ's giving us a new nature like unto his 
own. This is not given to lie dormant in the 
soul. It is given in order to a laborious life of 
holiness, and good works. Hence our sancti- 
fication, and steady growth in holy obedience, is 
as certainly secured by our Lord's death, as is 
our justification. Accordingly, he pleads in 
his intercession for us, ' Sanctify them through 
thy truth ; thy word is truth.' And the entire 
end of all his work, from our election to our 
final salvation, is, that < we may be holy, and 
without blame, before him in love ;' and, in or- 
der that he might present each one of us 
as a chosen member of his church, * without 
spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.' And to 
attain this grand end, he 6 sanctifies us in soul, 



200 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

body, and spirit.' In one word, Paul enjoins it 
on us to be < careful to maintain good works 
for necessary uses.' And these uses, the apos- 
tle James declares to be so essentially necessary, 
that our faith is dead without these good 
works of new obedience. * Without holiness 
we shall never see God.' This is the constitu- 
tional and eternal law of God's kingdom. 

" Seventh. — Our blessed Lord gave a complete 
satisfaction to divine justice on our behalf. That 
he suffered all the evils of life, you know, my 
children, from the brief memoir of him in the 
gospels. ' Reproach broke his heart.' Can 
you conceive, any one of you, how a delicate, 
pure, refined, and most innocent person would 
suffer, if shut up in a States' prison, among 
ruffians, robbers, and assassins ! Who can 
conceive the sufferings of the perfectly holy 
Jesus, when mingling among the wicked Ro- 
mans and Jews, when reproach from words, and 
infamous deeds, * broke his heart !' He suffer- 
ed in body and soul, the extremity of the law's 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 201 

curse. For he 'was made a curse for us.' 
The powers of hell and of earth, combined to 
inflict ineffable torments on him. The exac- 
tions of God's holy justice, made him taste the 
horrid pains of hell ! His sweat was, as it were, 
great drops of clotted blood, rolling down on 
the ground ! * If it be possible,' cried he, in his 
agony, * let this cup pass away from me ! But 
not my will, thine be done V He was, the 
while, beaten and mangled by the scourgers, 
crowned with thorns ; nailed to the cross, and 
there left to expire a slow, lingering, horrid, 
and cursed death ! But it was the terrible ex- 
actions of justice on his holy soul, which sur- 
passed the whole. He expired amid the pains 
of hell, exclaiming, ' My God — my God — why 
hast thou forsaken me !' 

" Here is a wonder of wonders ! Come and 
see it ! A spotless, holy, and sinless One, suf- 
fering what never fell to the lot of humanity in 
this world ! A perfect, holy One, dying in un- 
utterable torments, and the pains of hell ! 



202 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

u But. it is an immutable principle of Divine 
Justice, that Almighty God will never allow 
one entirely without sin. to suffer. It would 
be a srain on the divine government, equal, to 
say the least, to his allowing the guilty traitor 
to go free, and even be rewarded ! Hence our 
Lord must have been involved in sin. But he 
had no sin of his own, personally. Hence it 
must have been our sins imputed, and laid to his 
account, as our mediator, who possessed the 
real, and the proper, matter of a sacrifice for us. 

M This is precisely the state of the case. 
Christ, by a voluntary act, put himself under 
the law, in our stead, by and with the consent 
of law and justice. He assumed our guilt, he 
took it on him, and was made the curse for us. 
Our sins being thus his, by their assumption, 
the Father, acting as judge and vindicator of 
law and justice, did righteously impute them to 
him. Hence the Judge dealt with him, in all 
respects in punishing him, even to the death, as 
if he had been the original guilty one. ' He 



THE WAY OF SALVATION, 203 

was wounded for our transgressions, he was 
bruised for our iniquities ; the chastisement of 
our peace was upon him ; and by his stripes 
are we healed ; the Lord made to meet upon 
him, the iniquities of us all.' 

" And that this atonement was complete, and 
in all points divinely perfect, is evident from 
these facts. He himself, whose lips never ut- 
tered a falsehood, said aloud on the cross — * it 
is finished !' His resurrection from the dead 
was the crowning evidence of this. For had 
he not completed his satisfaction to divine jus- 
tice, that same perfection, which will never 
allow the guilty to escape, nor enter the gates 
of heaven, would never have allowed the dead 
Redeemer to pass out from the gates of death ! 
Had the atonement not been absolutely and infi- 
nitely perfect, the dead Redeemer would have 
been retained a prisoner for ever S Besides, the 
moral works of God cannot be otherwise than 
spotless and perfect ; and the atonement of 
God-man, our mediator, being a moral work 



204 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

of God, it cannot be otherwise than what is 
most worthy ofour Lord's presenting ; and of 
our heavenly Father's accepting. 

" And, in fact, my children, the existence of 
the gospel, and its effects, the existence of the 
Sabbath day, and of our sanctuaries, and of the 
holy ministry, and all the divine ordinances of 
God's grace, together with the existence of 
every saint in heaven, and every saint on earth 
— all, all proclaim, in a voice of complete de- 
monstration, that the perfect atonement of our 
blessed Substitute has been given, and has been 
accepted by 'the Judge of all the earth.' 

" This exhibits to you, my children, the 
way of salvation, as it is opened up to us 
by the holiness, obedience, sufferings, and the 
death of Christ. One thing, only, yet remains 
to be explained to you by me, namely, how we 
are brought into this new way, and living way 
of salvation. But, adieu, for the present; you 
are dismissed." 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 



PART III. 

Our introduction into this new and living way — We 
must be freed from guilt, and pollution — Our utter ina- 
bility as sinners — We have ability, but that is given to 
us — God's right to command those whom guilt has dis- 
abled — God's work — Man's agency in duty — Regenera- 
tion — Faith — Justification — Manner of it — Sanctifica- 
tion — Two parts of it — The agent of it — The means of 
it — Appeal to the conscience — Prayer — Hymn. 

CHAPTER I. 

" And from above the thunders answered still, 
' Ye knew your duty, but ye did it not.' " Pollok. 

" I have something now peculiarly inter- 
esting to tell you, my children," said Mr. Tor- 
wood, as he placed himself in the midst of the 
youthful group, under the vine arbour, on a de- 
19 



206 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

lightful afternoon. In an instant, all were seat- 
ed around him, and their mother. 

l: My children, there was a certain prophet 
of old ; and his name was Ezekiel. He was 
blessed with holy visions, and revelations, from 
God, although in a land of captivity and dis- 
tress. On a certain day, he was carried forth 
into an extensive valley, where, it is probable, 
some sanguinary battle had been fought. He 
went round about, over the breadth and length 
of the valley, and, lo ! it was full of dry bones, 
very many ; and they were very dry, being 
long bleached in the rain, and sun. 

" And as the prophet looked on the mourn- 
ful spectacle, a voice came from the excellent 
glory, and said to him— ' Son of man, can 
these dry bones live V 

" The prophet did not say, as some probably 
would have said, — « yes, Lord, they can live, 
and move, and make themselves to stand up, 
whenever they please.' On the contrary, he 
replied to the Lord, as a sensible and discreet 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 207 

Christian would, — <0 Lord God, thou know- 
est!' 

" After some suspense, and a solemn silence, 
the prophet heard the voice again from heaven, 
saying — ' Prophesy upon these bones ; say 
unto them, O ye dry bones ! hear the word of 
the Lord.' Now, my children, what could this 
mean ? These dry bones, primarily represented 
the state of the withered, and ruined house of 
Israel. But, they symbolically represented, 
also, the condition of the whole house of Adam, 
— slain, corrupted, dead in sins and trespasses ! 
How could dry bones hear ? How could dry 
bones rise up ? How can dead sinners hear, 
and rise up, and minister to the Lord ?" 

Charles. — " We were formerly on this impor- 
tant point. But, I recollect, an objector has 
urged this, — will God, at any time, lay a com- 
mand on sinners — his own subjects, to do that 
thins:, which he knows we cannot do ? When 
I am commanded by God, to do this thing, and 
that, does it not plainly imply that I am able 



208 THE WAY OF SALVATIOX. 

to comply ? If I am not, is God not mocking 
my misery ? Let me again hear you explain this 
vexed point of doctrine ; nothing can be more 
seasonable." 

Father. — " My child the objection is correct, 
and it is not correct. I will explain. God 
never laid a command ^n an angel, nor on 
Adam, but they were perfectly able, and willing 
to obey him. Here is one answer. But, in 
reference to fallen man, in his present state of 
discipline, and preparation for eternity, the ques- 
tion requires a more delicate discussion. When 
a subject makes himself a guilty and wicked 
criminal in the civil community, does his dis- 
obedience, or his incapacity, take away the 
magistrates' power over him, to command him 
just as much as ever ? No. Well, then, can a 
sound philosopher, or a Bible scholar, imagine 
that man's rebellion, — that man's ' death in 
sin and trespasses,' — that his utter inability 
even to direct his own steps, (Jerem. x, 23.) 
can really abrogate, and take away Almighty 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 209 

God's right of authority over man, to demand 
obedience of him as much as ever ? If any 
man will hold this plausible opinion, that God 
will not call on any man to do that which he 
knows man cannot perform, then on his princi- 
ples, he mast hold and teach, that a sinner's 
rebellion annihilates God's authority, and power 
to continue his command, and to reign over his 
own rebellious subjects ! This, in effect, repre- 
sents man's successful rebellion as causing: 
God to retire from his throne, before rebels ! 

"Guard, my children, against superficial, 
and plausible opinions : — 

* Errors, like straws, upon the surface flow ; 
He who would search for pearls, must dive below.' 

Think deeply and closely. Now, attend to me. 
God utters this voice — * Awake thou that sleep- 
est, and arise from the dead?' Eph. v. 14. 
Because God commands the dead to arise, does 
this imply that the power to rise is in them ? 
When the man with the withered hand stood 
before Jesus, he said to him, i stretch forth thy 
19* 



210 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

hand !' And he stretched it out. Did this 
command of Jesus, imply that the man had the 
power in himself to stretch out the hand ? 
If he had, then his hand was kot withered. Or 
did the command of Jesus mock the poor 
man? No. There was power to stretch out 
the hand, but that power was not lodged in him: 
it was given to him. When the impotent man 
lay utterly without ability, at the pool, and 
could not stir himself; and when Jesus said to 
him, i Rise, take up thy bed and walk !' Did this 
imply that the man could rise, and could carry 
his bed ? If so, then he was not impotent. Or, 
did this command, laid on him by Christ, while 
he knew that he could neither rise nor walk, 
actually mock the poor man ? No, he had 
power to comply. But that power was not in 
him ; it was given to him. When our Lord 
stood before the sepulchre of Lazarus, who was 
buried, and in a state of corruption, Jesus cried 
with a loud voice — ' Lazarus, come forth !' Did 
this imply that Lazarus could obey the com- 



THE WAY OF SALVATION, 211 

mand here laid on him ? Or, did Jesus mock 
the dead, by calling on him to come out, when 
he knew that he was dead, and utterly unable ? 
No, for Lazarus had power to obey, but that 
power was not in himself; it came from the 
Lord God of life ! 

" Now, my dear children, the plain matter of 
fact is this : God has an inalienable right still 
to reign over rebels, and, therefore, still to com- 
mand obedience, although man, by his guilt and 
rebellion, has lost the power he once had to 
obey. Had man been impotent in any other 
way than by his own guilt, then no command 
could have been laid on him which he could 
not obey. But, his spiritual death, in other 
words, his inability and impotency are his 
crime. He did voluntarily make himself so. 
And the necessary effect of a voluntary crime, 
is no excuse for a man's not doing his acts of 
obedience to God." 



212 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 



CHAPTER II. 

" Nor think that any, born of Adam's race, 
In his own proper virtue, entered heaven. 
Once fallen from God, and perfect holiness, 
No being unassisted, e'er could rise 
Or sanctify the sin-polluted soul ! 
Oft was the trial made, but vainly made !" 

u Now, let me carry you back to the Valley 
of Dry Bones. The Prophet, by the Divine 
command, prophesied to them, and taught, and 
commanded them. ' O ye dry bones ! hear 
the word of the Lord.' And as he used the 
divinely appointed means, in a dependence on 
God, s there was a noise ; and behold a shak- 
ing ; aud bone came to his bone ! And, lo ! 
the sinews and flesh came upon them ; and the 
skin covered them from above !' There they 
lay, ' hewn into shape' by the words of the pro- 
phet. But, there was no life in them. You 
cannot but perceive, that the moral tendency 
of means, and the common operations of the 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 213 

Holy Spirit, may go a wonderful length. 
There it is pictured out by the prophet. But, 
without saving power, and special grace, there 
can be no life in these persons, adorned as 
they may be, with merely the moral decencies 
of virtue. 

" Hence, another message from the throne 
of God came to the prophet. — < Prophesy to 
the wind, (the Spirit) and say to the wind 
(the Spirit), Come from the four winds, O 
breath of the Lord !' O thou Spirit of the 
Lord ! i And breathe upon the slain, that they 
may live !' The prophet did so. Divine power, 
and invincible grace accompanied the means re- 
sorted to, and those dead stood up on their feet, 
an exceeding great army ! 

" Now, recall to your memory, and apply the 
plain maxim which I have always endeavoured, 
my dear children, to impress on you. It is this, — 
God never commands any man to do God's 
work ; but he commands every man to do 

HIS DUTY, WITH ALL THE POWERS HE HAS, IN 



214 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

the use of the proper means. Another 
maxim is this, — x\ll life, of every kind, is 
from Almighty God alone. Man cannot 
communicate life to the withered flower. He 
cannot raise the dead animal into life. He 
cannot raise a dead human being into life. 
Infinitely less can man create himself anew, by 
raising himself from the spiritual death of his 
soul, to the living and eternal communion with 
God. 

" Agreeably to these fundamental truths, we 
discover two classes of texts in the Holy Bible, 
relative to this matter, — namely, the giving of 
a spiritual life, usually called regeneration. 
On the one hand, I would request you to put 
down in one column, those promises, or assu- 
rances of God, that He will give us the new 
heart. Such as the following : — ' A new heart 
will 1 give unto you.' ' You hath He quicken- 
ed, who were dead.' * Arise from the dead, 
and Christ shall give you light.' t To you it 
is given, in the behalf of Christ, to believe. 5 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 215 

God hath granted repentance unto life.' * God 
worketh in us both to will, and to do of his 
good pleasure.' ''Lord, — thou also has wrought 
all our works in us.' — Eph. ii. 1, 2. — v. 14. — 
Phil. i. 2 ( J.— Acts xi. 18.— Phil. ii. 13.— Isai. 
xxvi. 12. 

" On the other hand, put down, in another 
column, those commands laid on the sinner by 
the sovereign will of his Creator and Redeem- 
er. < Turn ye, turn ye, from your evil ways, 
why will you die V ' Believe on the Lord 
Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.' 
1 Repent ye, and be ye converted.' < Cast 
away from you all your transgressions : make 
ye a new heart, and a new spirit.' ' Awake 
thou that sleepest, and arise thou from the 
dead.' — Ezek. xxxiii. 11. — Acts, xvi. 31. — 
iii. 19.— Ezek. xviii. 31.— Eph. v. 14. 

" Now, Charles, to reconcile these, apply the 
maxim which I have laid before you. In all 
these declarations, God never commands man 
to do God's worn : but he commands every 



216 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

man to do his duty. To God it belongs, by 
a creating act of his grace, to give us the new 
heart. He conveys a real principle of life 
into our dead souls. I know not what life is : 
I know not what that life is, in this hand, by 
which I move it, and act. But I know this, — 
that it is a real principle from the Author of 
all life. Even so, while I possess all the phy- 
sical faculties of my soul, they are, by nature, 
as dead, that is to say, as destitute of spiritual 
life in them, as a babe is dead, which lies be- 
fore you, with all its physical members, and 
yet wants the vital principle. This spiritual 
life God breathes into our souls, as he did 
breathe it into Adam. Hence, Christ Jesus, 
using a significant symbol of his infusing grace 
into the soul, * breathed on his disciples, and 
said, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.' Hence, 
he is said to create us anew in Christ Jesus. 
He makes us i alive in him.' ' He quickens 
us.' « He begets us again.' And we are said 
to be * born again,' and i made new creatures.' 



THE WAY OF SALVATION, 217 

" This principle of life, breathed anew, spiri- 
tually, into our souls, ' makes us alive from the 
dead.' This life instantly puts itself forth in 
motions. We thence, obtain a lively disposi- 
tion, and will to obey God : < he works in us 
to will.' We also derive thence, real powers 
and capacities to believe, to repent, to 
obey. For God works in us to do, as well as 
to w t ill. I cannot tell the point where the 
living new creature begins to work, as well as 
to believe. But we, on our part, are called 
upon, in seeking this quickening, and convert- 
ing grace, to employ all the powers we do pos- 
sess. We must call in the aid of all divine 
means. We must read ; we must study ; we 
must hear the word ; and fervently implore 
divine grace : we must not relax one item of 
the utmost degree of human agency, and dili- 
gent activity in all the appointed means. We 
must use these means as diligently and pain^ 
fully, as if we were to be saved by our own 
efforts, and activity, in the means of grace. 
20 



218 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

At the same time, we must rely so humbly, so 
completely, and so uniformly on the grace of 
God, and our Lord's merits, as if means could 
do nothing. Hence, this combination of grace, 
and human agency, in the dutiful use of means is 
strikingly laid down to us in these divine words . 
— « Work out your own salvation with fear 
and trembling ; for it is God which worketh 
in you, both to will, and to do, of his good 
pleasure.' 

" Thus, we accomplish two objects of vast 
importance. We crown free grace, and our 
Lord Jesus, Lord of all. We place the crown 
and glory of our salvation where it should 
be, — even on the head of the Holy One ! And 
thus, we place man, with all the physical and 
moral powers he has, — < dead in sins,' as he is, 
until he be quickened, — under the deep, and 
solemn responsibility under which every hu- 
man being acts, who has a rational freedom of 
the will." 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 219 



CHAPTER III. 

" Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself 
before the High God 1 Shall I come before him, with burnt-offer- 
ings? With calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased 
with thousands of rams ; or with ten thousands of rivers of oil 1 
Shall I give my first born for my transgression 1 The fruit of my 
body for the sin of my soul." 

MlCAH. 

" Now, my children, follow me, while I here 
lead you to the main point of application. 

"From the damning guilt of sin, we must be 
delivered ; or we must perish. Now Christ, 
our blessed Redeemer, as I showed you, has ac- 
complished the one all perfect atonement. 
When he stood forward as our substitute, he 
was identified as one with us before law and 
justice. Hence he said, — « Deliver from going 
down to the pit, I have found a ransom :' and 
hence, when he rose from the dead, it was an- 
nounced that 'he was raised again for our jus- 
tification.' Now, follow me, my dear children, 



220 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

while I show unto you, how we receive the 
benefit of this atonement. 

" Being renewed by the Holy Ghost, the 
first elements of grace in us, in operation, are 
knowledge to see our real condition, and to 
see the only remedy. While in a state of 
awful grief, and terror, as men ' broken in the 
place of dragons,' the soul obtains a glimpse, — 
a sight of Christ, and his all-sufficient work. 
Faith springs forward to him : the whole soul 
lays hold of him, as our only and all-sufficient 
Saviour. This faith does exactly correspond in 
our exercise thereof, to the Gospel offer of Christ, 
by our heavenly Father. That is a particular, 
personal, and free offer : corresponding to this, — 
faith is a particular, personal, appropriating act 
of Christ, as the Saviour not only, but our own 
Saviour. And let me notice another element in 
its essence. Inasmuch as we do receive 
Christ, and believe in him, on the ground of 
God's infallible, and most certain testimony, — 
so, there is this kind of assurance in the very 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 221 

essence, and act of faith, — not an assurance 
that I am truly a Christian, — but an assurance 
arising from the divine testimony, and promise 
of God, namely, — I am assured, that upon my 
believing, and accepting of Christ in the Gos- 
pel offer, I shall certainly be saved, according 
to the infallible promise of his grace. 

" Now, trace the immediate fruit of this 
saving faith. By it are we united to Christ, 
so as to be one with him before the throne of 
law and justice. ' We abide in him, and he 
in us.' This you find in John xv. 4. 5. 6. 
— Hence, ' he is the head,' we are ' the mem- 
bers of Christ.' Yea, ' we are members of his 
body, of his flesh, and of his bones." Eph. v. 30. 
Yea, so certain, so mysterious, so indissoluble 
is this union of Christ and us, that he speaks 
of it, as resembling that between himself and 
the Father. He thus prays, — 6 that they all 
may be one, even as we are one : I in them, 
and thou in me, that they (the ransomed,) may 
be made perfect in one .' John xviu 22. 23. 
20* 



222 THE WAT OF SALVATION. 

" And being thus united to him, and made 
legally one with him, all that he did, and suf- 
fered, — in short, his atonement and righteous- 
ness are now ours. They were designed for 
us, by the Father. They were wrought out for 
us expressly, by our surety. And are now 
through this union applied to us by the Holy 
Ghost. And these being thus really and ac- 
tually ours, they are justly imputed to us ; 
and placed to our account. Instantly, upon 
this being the case, all our guilt, original and 
actual, is forthwith, and for ever, blotted out. 
We are accepted as righteous in God's sight. 
We are brought into a state of peace, and re- 
conciliation with him. Let me read to you 
out of Romans, chap. iv. 3. 23. 24. — i It was 
accounted (imputed) unto him for righteous- 
ness : now, it was not written for his sake 
alone, to whom it was imputed ; but for our 
sakes also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we 
believe on him who raised up Jesus our Lord 
from the dead.' 



THE WAY OP SALVATION. 223 

" This is the mode of our justification through 
faith. And the fruit thereof is, peace of con- 
science, joy in God, and a right to the hea- 
venly inheritance, and certain security that 
we shall reach glory. This is an act, purely, 
of God's grace. It is done in an instant ; and 
it never is revoked. In this act, you will par- 
ticularly observe, we are found righteous 
in Christ, and are pronounced righteous in 
him by God our judge. We are, henceforth, 
adopted into the family of God. We are joint 
heirs with Christ. And nothing, therefore, 
shall ever separate us from his love, or his love 
from us. — I request you to read frequently 
the eighth of the Romans." 



224 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 



CHAPTER IV. 

u O goodness infinite ! O goodness immense ! 
That all this good of evil shall produce, 
And evil turn to good ; more wonderful 
Than that which by creation first brought forth 
Light out of darkness !" 

Milton. 

" But we need something besides Justifica- 
tion, and pardon. You will remember the dis- 
tinction we made to you, my children, when 
describing your sin, and misery. The pollution 
of sin, and every disqualifying trait and defect 
in the soul, must be thoroughly removed in 
order to our being ever with the Lord. This 
is the law of his kingdom, — < without holiness 
no man shall see the Lord.' 

" A criminal in the civil community, is 
doomed by the guilt of his crime to suffer pu- 
nishment. This sentence, you know, may be 
relaxed, and a pardon issued. He can return 
into society, and no man dare disturb him. 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 225 

But, that criminal, though fully pardoned, 
would not be received into this circle among 
us. No virtuous family would allow him to 
approach their domestic associates. Now, 
what is that which excludes him ?" 

Children. — " Why, Pa, he is vile and pol- 
luted ; blood is on his hands, and on his soul. 
He is stained with ' corruption,' as we have 
heard you often say." 

Father. — " That is precisely correct. And 
that is the thing, in sin, which will keep a 
man out of heaven, as long as God is holiness 
itself; and as long as all his angels and ser- 
vants, there, are holy. — Besides, he must be 
qualified, and made meet for the company of 
heaven. He must have all the gifts, and 
graces, and divine accomplishments necessary 
to render him fit to commune with God ; and 
to mingle with saints and angels, in all the 
associations of eternity. All that is earthly, 
carnal, and sensual, must be completely done 
away. And every thing that is pure, elevated, 



226 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

and holy, must spring up in his soul, to adorn 
and qualify him for God's presence. — For, I 
repeat it emphatically, — ; without holiness, no 
man shall see the Lord/ 

" Now, this is the blessed work of Sanctifi- 
cation I allude to. It consists in the carrying 
out into exercise, and thence the perfecting, of 
all those holy principles, habits, dispositions, 
and powers, which were implanted by the Holy 
Ghost, in the soul, in our regeneration. 

" And let me impress it upon your minds, my 
dear ones, that we are indebted for this ines- 
timable gift of holiness, to the Triune God. 
The procuring cause of it, is our Heavenly 
Father's love. The meriting cause, is the 
blood of Jesus Christ. That is to say, by his 
merits, and in consequence of his finished 
work, we are divinely united to him, as the 
Lord of life and holiness : and he expels 
death and sin from our souls and bodies. 
And let me add,— the Holy Ghost is the only 
efficient cause of holiness. By his presence 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 227 

dwelling in us, and by his invincible power, he 
mortifies all sin, by causing the vigorous 
growth of all the graces in us. 

" I cannot tell you, my children, how God's 
power infuses the principle of life into our 
bodies, or into animals, or into plants. We 
know only the fact by evidence. Neither can 
I tell you how he conveys life spiritual into 
the powers and faculties of my soul. The 
fact we do know from evidence of God's 
testimony, and from the actings and motions 
of the holy soul toward God. 

" In like manner, how God nourishes, and 
strengthens the members of my body, I can- 
not tell. Or, how he nourishes, ripens, and 
invigorates the spiritual life in my soul, I 
cannot tell. The facts I do know. We grow 
in bodily strength. We feel it. ' We grow in 
grace.' We feel it, and exult in it, while we grow 
up * unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the 
stature of the fulness of Christ.' Eph. iv. 13. 

" All this is done under the efficiency of the 



228 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

proper means. In the natural world, my life 
and strength are sustained by the means of 
providence ; namely, by food, drink, heat, 
clothing, and medicine. How these do this, 
under God, I know not. It is enough that I 
do know the fact. In the spiritual world, the 
life of God in my soul, is sustained, and ad- 
vanced in steady growth. This is effected by 
the means of grace ; such as, — divine read- 
ing, meditation, prayer, the faithful preaching 
of the Gospel, and the holy and believing use 
of the blessed sacraments of Baptism, and the 
Lord's Supper. 

" And here, let me trace out to you, some- 
thing of this process. My dark mind, he 
illumes by his light and truth. My knowledge 
is feeble ; by these means of grace he leads me 
into a growing acquaintance with the doctrines 
of his word ; and thus, he expels ignorance, 
by the diffusion of knowledge. My feeble and 
wavering faith, he strengthens and confirms, 
by exercising me in his gracious promises, and 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 229 

by proving me in the furnace of affliction. I 
am, thence, drawn nearer and nearer to him ; 
and I, thence, take a firmer grasp of his divine 
promises, and power, and faithfulness, Hence, 
my faith grows more vigorous. And thence, 
by a growing faith, I expel unbelief and doubts. 
He opens up in his word, and providence, his 
wonderful grace, his overwhelming goodness, 
and the adorable love of the Father ; and of the 
Son ; and of the Holy Ghost. This, by the laws 
of his love, draws out my love to him. Hence, I 
love him not only with the love of moral excel- 
lence, but with the love of pure gratitude. I love 
him, for what he is in himself. ' I love him, 
because he first loved me !' This growing and 
ripening grace drives out the love of the world, 
the love of sin, the love of earthly objects. 
He sets impressively before me in his law, and 
gospel, the fearful nature of sin ; its terrific 
guilt ; its inexpressible tendency to dishonour 
God, and to ruin souls. — I am, thence, led 
deeply, and more deeply, with pungent sorrow, to 
21 



230 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

repent of all my sins, daily. And as repent- 
ance deepens, so holiness grows. I have near- 
er fellowship with my God. I become more 
and more disentangled from the world : and, 
thenceforth, more and more heavenly-minded ; 
and I steadily ripen for heaven. 

" You perceive, then, I trust, the reason why 
sanctification necessarily consists of two 
things. First : — It consists in our living unto 
righteousness, in the diligent cultivation of 
holy, and new obedience to the law of God. 
And, Second : — It consists in our dying con- 
stantly, more and more, unto all sin. And, 
just in proportion as we grow in grace, do we 
die unto sin, and to the world, and the Evil 
One's flattery, and all his alluring slavery. 
And just in proportion as ' God works gra- 
ciously in us, both to will and to do,' shall we, 
my children, be diligent in working out our 
salvation with fear and trembling.' And just 
in proportion as we feel ourselves knit together 
in the unity of love to Christ, and feel that we are 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 231 

kept infallibly by him, through faith unto eternal 
life, shall we labour with an ever-growing dili- 
gence, and activity, in the perseverance of 
grace and dutv, to the end. ' Who shall 
separate us from the love of Christ !' " 






232 THE WAY OF SALVATION, 

CHAPTER V. 

"This is the path, the good old way." Jehovah. 

" Thus, my dear children, I have shown you 
the way or salvation. I am well aware 
that I have been speaking many things, that 
your young minds cannot yet fully take up. 
But, some of you do apprehend them, I humbly 
trust. And your dear mother, and I, shall not 
cease to stir up your minds, by way of remem- 
brance, to these things, 6 which belong to your 
everlasting peace.' And as the continual drop- 
ping of water will wear even through the hard 
rock, so shall the dropping and distilling of our 
doctrine, wear traces and marks, holy and di- 
vine, in your minds. And, if by diligence, the 
tyro in letters and figures, rose up from a child 
in science, to be a Sir Isaac Newton ; so, I 
trust,you all, — even little Joseph there, and even 
the ambitious and greedy little Jamie, — will all 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 233 

* grow up to the measure of the stature of the 
fulness of Christ,' in due time. 

" But," — and he made a long pause, while 
every eye was fixed on him, as he cast his 
eyes mournfully around the little group. " O my 
dear children, it has been alleged, in family 
traditions, and the sayings of the hoary headed, 
that there is, usually, some strayed sheep or 
lamb, in a flock, that will be lost. Now, oh! 
who is to be that strayed sheep in my little 
flock ?" The parents covered their faces, and 
wept. 

The scene that followed, was somewhat 
like that which took place in our Lord's family, 
when he made the appalling revelation to them, 
" verily, one of you shall betray me !" — But, 
there was this difference ; there seemed to be 
no Judas in our little flock. Each youthful 
eye ran rapidly round on brother and sister; 
and each emotion was deeply quickened at the 
sight of the tears, which fell in heavy drops, on 
their father and mother's laps. Little Joseph 
21* 



234 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

first broke silence. u It ain't me that is meant, 
dear Pa and Ma. I won't wander from you, 
when you guide me, Pa." And the little boy 
climbed up on his father's knee ; and gently 
wiped off the tear drops that were pacing 
down his cheeks. 

"It won't be me, dear Ma," said Amelia, as 
she climbed the grassy sofa, and threw her 
arms around her mother's neck, and kissed her 
wet cheek. 

" Nor shall I be the straying one," cried 
David, with much emotion, — " my hope is in 
the Lord God of my fathers !" 

" Nor am I the strayed lamb," cried Agnes ; 
" for Jesus has said, ' suffer the little children 
to come unto me : and forbid them not.' He 
will guide me, — will he not, dear Pa, to his 
heavenly kingdom? Speak to us, dear Ma, 
and do not weep any more !" 

" 1 shall not be the stray lamb, nor make 
you cry, dear Pa and Ma," said little Willie ; 
" Pa told me t'other day about the good 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 235 

shepherd, who laid down his life for the sheep, 
and the lambs also. I think he will not let me 
be lost. I love that good shepherd." 

" Nor shall I be among the missing, by the 
grace of God," said Charles, with deep emo- 
tions. " I have vowed to the Lord my God, 
already ; and, God helping me, I will not turn 
back from following the Lord, all the days of 
my life." And so said every one in the group. 
" Well, they have all answered but you and 
I, my dear," said Mr. Torwood, as he looked to 
his wife, with a smile of delicious gratulation. 
" Well," said she, in reply, with a sweet smile 
in the midst of her tears ; " as for me, whither 
thou goest, I will go ; and where thou lodgest 
I will lodge ; thy people shall be my people, 
and thy God shall be my God !" 

" Amen !" replied Mr. Torwood, — " And may 
the Lord God of our fathers, be our God, and 
the God of our children. 

" And, now, let us unite our hearts in prayer, 
to our covenant God," said Mr. Torwood. 



236 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

And they all kneeled down, in the close retire- 
ment of the shady arbour, while the husband 
and father poured out this prayer before the 
throne of God. 

" Oh ! Lord God of Zion ! Thy church is 
bought by the ransom price of the blood of the 
Son of God. And none of thy ransomed ones 
shall be lost. Glory and praises be to thy name 
for ever* Thou didst, in the days of our first 
father, raise up man from his miserable state. 
Thou didst constitute thy church in his family. 
And ever since that day, thy church has existed, 
unaffected by the lapse of time, or by the 
change of individuals. And thy church, moving 
on in life and beauty, amid all the tumults, and 
wars, and downfall ofnations, has ever had the 
joy and honor to sing this song. ■ Lord, thou 
hast been our dwelling-place in all generations !' 
And, adored be the riches of thy grace, O Lord 
our God, which called us, the seed of the Gen- 
tiles, into thy fold. We were as sheep gone 
astray. But thou, Great Shepherd, < didst seek 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 237 

us out, and bring us back from all places into 
which we had wandered, in the cloudy and 
dark day !' The Gentiles — and such were our 
forefathers— -were withered and dead branches. 
They lay trampled in the dust. Glory be to 
thy sovereign grace. Thou, O Lord, didst lift up 
the withered and dead branch ; thou didst 
graft it in, upon the stock of the true olive tree, 
from which thou hadst cut off the branch of 
Israel ; which thou hast, for a season, cast from 
thee. Thou hast caused our branch to bud, 
and blossom, and bear much fruit. Glory be 
to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy 
Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now, and 
shall be, world without end ! For thou hast 
visited and redeemed us, thy people. 'Thou 
hast opened up unto us a door of hope in the 
valley of Trouble. 5 Thou hast set before us 
the new and living way ; and ' shut us up to the 
faith of the gospel. 5 What shall we, — Oh ! 
what can we render to the Lord our God, for 
all his benefits to us ! We will ever glorify 



238 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

thee by coming daily, and hourly, to receive 
out of thy inexhaustible fountain, further sup- 
plies of grace to help us, in every time of need. 
The more we receive of thee, the more welcome 
we are to come for more. For thou art glo- 
rified by those who devise liberal things at thy 
hand. 

"And blessed, O Lord, be thy wisdom, thy 
goodness, and mercy, in that thou hast divided 
the great kingdom of the Church, into separate 
and distinct households. And these households, 
thou hast committed, in solemn charge, to the 
parents, the heads thereof. How rich is the 
divine goodness ! Thou hast, O Lord, com- 
bined our duty, our pleasure, and happiness, 
w r ith thy own supreme glory ! In the house- 
hold, thou hast united parents and children ; 
thou hast knit them by the tenderest, and 
strongest ties. And by all these ties, and obli- 
gations, thou commandest, and movest, and 
constrainest us, to train up our dear children 
in the nurture and admonition of the Lord ! 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 239 

In training up these dear ones, whom thou hast 
given unto us, thy servants, we have the plea- 
sure of pleasing thee through faith ; and of 
preparing those who are our flesh and blood, to 
meet thee in glory ; and to be our own glori- 
fied associates in heaven, for ever and ever. 
Thanks to thee, O Lord, for all thy mercies to 
us ! 

"Blessed be thy divine goodness, O Lord, 
for this my dear companion, whom thou 
didst bestow on me. And blessed be thy 
name, O my God, for each one of these our 
dearly beloved children, whom thy love gave 
unto us. And blessed, and adored be thy most 
holy name, for the dear little ones, whom thou 
didst give, in a brief loan ; but whom, O Lord, 
thou hast taken home, to be saints in glory. We 
yielded them up, O divine Sovereign ! to thee. 
Thine they were — to us — only loaned, for the 
brief season of their few, and fleeting days ! 

" Now, dear and most merciful Father, look 
thou in sparing mercy, and love, on those whom 



240 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

yet thou continuest in loan, to us, for training. 
We place them before thee, O Lord, at the foot 
of thy throne, — each one of them, from our dear 
Charles, around the whole circle, to little Jo- 
seph. Most compassionate and faithful Re- 
deemer, accept from us, this renewed vow of 
surrender of them all to thyself — to be thine — 
wholly — and thine only — and thine in all eter- 
nity ! We heard thy voice uttered by reason, 
by the holy scriptures, and by thy unerring 
providence, on our parental ears — ' take these 

CHILDREN, AND NURSE THEM FOR ME !' Here, 

Lord, we humbly profess to accept the ho- 
nour, and the pleasure, of such a duty, over 
such a dear charge — and to such a dearly 
beloved and adored Redeemer ! And grant 
thou to us, O most gracious God, in thy grace, 
' our wages :' the pleasure of pleasing thee still 
more and more, through faith ; the honor of 
advancing thy divine glory ; the inexpressible 
satisfaction, and joy of parents' hearts, in see- 
ing their dearly beloved ones growing up. as 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 24 £ 

among the grass, and as willows by the water 
courses — full of knowledge, and wisdom ; and 
fast ripening in piety, and true holiness ! 

" Bless, therefore, O Lord, these instructions 
on the necessity of salvation ; and on 
the way of salvation, which we endeavour, 
humbly, in our weakness, but through thy grace, 
daily, to impress on their young and tender 
minds. Oh ! hear a father's and a mother's 
prayers ! Guide each of these dear lambs 
through the wilderness. And, oh ! Lord God 
of our fathers ! when time closes with us, in- 
dividually, grant us, we beseech thee, O God, 
for his sake who died on the cross for us, Oh ! 
grant, we do implore thee — that we may all 
meet in heaven! Oh ! forbid it — dear and 
most merciful One — forbid that any one indi- 
vidual of this dear flock should fae found 
straying, and lost. Oh ! let each one of us, here 
in this circle, let each one of us be found on our 
own dear Redeemer's right hand, in the great 
day of judgment ! And take all the praise, and 
22 



242 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

the glory, and honour, to thyself— Father, Son, 
and Holy Ghost — our God in the everlasting 
covenant. Amen, and amen. 

" Now we conclude the whole, my dear ones, 
by singing the 

CORONATION ODE. 

All hail ! the power of Jesus' name, 

Let angels prostrate fall : 
Bring forth the royal diadem, 

And crown him, Lord of all ! 

Crown him, ye martyrs of our God, 

"Who from his altar call : 
Extol the stem of Jesse's rod, 

And crown him, Lord of all ! 

Crown him, ye heirs of David's line, 

Whom David Lord did call :] 
The God incarnate — man divine ! 

And crown him, Lord of all ! 

Ye chosen seed of Israel's race, 

Ye ransomed from the fall : 
Hail him, who saves you by his grace ; 

And crown him, Lord of all ! 



THE WAY OF SALVATION. 243 

Sinners, whose love can ne'er forget, 

The wormwood and the gall : 
Go, spread your trophies at his feet, 

And crown him, Lord of all ! 

Let ev'ry kindred, ev'ry tribe, 

On this terrestial ball, 
To him all majesty ascribe : 

And crown him, Lord of all ! 

Oh ! that with yonder sacred throng, 

"We at his feet may fall : 
We'll join the everlasting song: 
And crown him, Lord of all ! 



u 






THE CONCLUSION. 



"I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy 
children after thee, in their generations, for an everlasting cove- 
nant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy children after thee."— Je- 
hovah to Abraham. 



Thus, courteous reader, I have presented to 
you a specimen of the mode of instruction, 
pursued from time to time, in " The Christian 
Father's Family." The scenes here detailed, 
happened to be enacted during a season of 
school, and college vacation, when all his sur- 
viving children were at home. 

Mr. Tor wood's family had once rejoiced in 
the number of twelve children. But, when 
the above scenes were enacted, God had taken 
home to himself four of them ; namely, two in 
the early bud of life ; and two, who fell asleep in 
22* 



246 THE CONCLUSION. 

their youth, but mature in Christian faith. 
One of them I can yet distinctly remember, 
through the vista of past years. His name 
was Thomas. A scene occurred In his last 
hours, which made an impression on my ear- 
liest remembrance, which time can never efface. 
He awoke, one Sabbath morning, from a short 
but sweet slumber, with a countenance beaming 
with joy. He had been dreaming, he said, that 
he was in the house of God, above ; and 
that he was uniting in the triumphant song of 
the ransomed. He then repeated the twenty- 
third psalm with deep pathos. And I can ne- 
ver forget the emphasis, and beaming counte- 
nance, with which he repeated the fourth verse : 
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the 
shadow of death, I will fear no evil ; for thou 
art with me ; thy rod and thy staff, they com- 
fort me." 

Over his cold remains were pronounced the 
affecting words of the epitaph written by Pope ; 



TELE CONCLUSION. 247 

and which, for aught I know, were engraven on 
his tomb-stone. 

w To this sad spot, whoe'er thou art, draw near, 
Here lies the son most loved, the friend most dear ; 
Who ne'er knew joy, but friendship might divide ; 
Nor gave his parents grief— but when he died !" 

Mr. Torwood had sold his paternal estate, 
and immigrated into our happy country, in the 
early part of this century. Latterly he had 
planted himself down on the charming spot, 
where he trained up his family ; as has been 
detailed. 

Time has rolled on, and has made its mighty 
changes in this family. Mr. Torwood, and 
his accomplished Christian lady, are no more. 
She, "the mother most dear," departed first 
into her rest. Five years after, Mr. Torwood, 
who never ceased to lament her death, fell 
asleep in peace. They both died in the calm- 
ness and lustre of the Christian triumph, in the 
presence of all their children ; having uniformly 
carried out, in a bright example of faith and 
practice, what they had taught their children 



248 THE CONCLUSION. 

to believe, and practise, in life. They sleep 
side by side, within the same enclosure. I have 
visited the sacred spot. A neat monument? 
reared by the affection of their sons and daugh- 
ters, record their many virtues. 

My readers may wish to know something of 
the future lot of their children, which befell 
them after their departure. These faithful and 
devout parents could say, what comparatively 
few could say, — but it was all of the grace of 
God, — " Every one of our surviving children 
is a fearer of God." They lived, in fact, to 
see the divine promise graciously fulfilled, 
which is subjoined to the precept laid on all 
parents : " Train up a child in the way he 
should go ; and when he is old, he will not 
depart from it." Prov. xxii. 6. 

Charles was graduated a few weeks after 
the time, at which our narrative closes. He 
became, in process of time, an eloquent and 
very faithful minister of Christ. He finished 
his course in the pulpit The last intelligible 



THE CONCLUSION. 249 

words he uttered were in public prayer to his 
Creator and Redeemer. He fell at his post, 
in the act of prayer. He went from the 
pulpit, — to heaven. His son is a faithful, 
ardent, and pains-taking young minister ; walk- 
ing in the footsteps of his father. 

David commenced the study of the classics 
with fair prospects. But he threw aside Vir- 
gil's charming pages, to test the truth of his 
eulogies on the happy life of the farmer. He 
is now an opulent agriculturist : and has his 
full share of olive plants blooming around his 
board. 

Jean, remarkable for her beauty and spright- 
liness, married the elegant youth, who had 
long been the choice of her young heart : 
having obtained, at last, the consent of her 
father, the Laird, after he had exhausted his 
persuasions, and schemes to prevent the match. 
Years of happiness, and trying vicissitudes 
passed over her. But her trust in God, like 
that of her excellent husband, was ever unsha- 



250 THE CONCLUSION. 

ken. She is now a widow ; residing on her 
own domain, with her dutiful, and kind-hearted 
children about her. 

Agnes was a blooming beauty. After many 
vicissitudes, she became the wife of a worthy 
man, who is a fearer of the Lord, and an ex- 
emplary elder in the house of God. Their 
estate is one of the richest and handsomest in 
the beautiful valley of Cumberland in Pennsyl- 
vania. 

Aleck grew up to be a shrewd, active, and 
driving man of business. His domain, lying 
on one of the smaller branches of the Ohio, is 
a splendid inheritance, of something like a mile 
square. His crops, and his merinos have few 
rivals in that quarter. 

Joseph was, for years, given up to way- 
wardness and folly. His parents trembled for 
him. The most anxious fears were entertained 
that, after all, he would forget his early in- 
structions and solemn vows ; and prove the 
"stray lamb" of the flock. But God, in rich 



THE CONCLUSION. 251 

grace, plucked him as a brand out of the fire. 
He died in the presence of " wife, children, and 
friends," after a life spent in Christian useful- 
ness, and honour. His last moments exhibited 
a triumph of divine grace. He died praying, 
and confessing the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Little Willie, who professed his confidence, 
so warmly, in the good shepherd of Israel, 
after many changes, and tossings to and fro, 
still continues to labour indefatigably in the 
Gospel ministry ; and is rather conspicuous 
than otherwise, while he dwells in the presence 
of all his brethren. 

Amelia, the youngest daughter, and the pet 
of the family, gave her hand in early life, to 
one who was, like herself, an eminent young 
Christian. A few short years of happiness, 
without alloy, rolled over their heads. But 
the day of heavy affliction came. Her bloom- 
ing husband, " the desire of her eyes, " was 
hurried into an early grave. He died uttering 
his blessing on his wife, and sweet little babe ! 



252 the co>-cLrsiox. 

That young heiress of her father's estate lived 
to see blooming seventeen, — the renovated 
image of her mother :— she descended into her 
grave at eighteen, leaving her little babe, and 
her young husband utterly inconsolable ! 

Such, courteous reader, is the present con- 
dition of " The Christian Father's" family. 

And it may not be improper here, to say, 
that with them there are abundant materials of 
instruction in abeyance ; and that there are 
those in the "Christian Father's" family, who 
can give them form and consistency. — Mean- 
time, Christian and courteous reader, I bid 
thee heartily. Farewell. 






the EXV, 



U 3 1 



6v 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

Hill II! I II II III I II III II II III ft 



Nil II III 



021 897 421 1 



